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Prince Badi Bounces Back!
Recovers from injury; targets Tiozzo
September 21, 2006
by Rick Scharmberg
photos by Armando Roldan
Prince Badi Ajamu (25-3-1, 14 KOs), of Camden, New Jersey, lost his NABO Light Heavyweight title in Boise, Idaho, on July 29 by unanimous decision to Roy Jones Jr.
His title was not the only thing he lost.
Three days post bout, after jogging on the beach in Wildwood, New Jersey, Ajamu felt extreme sluggishness in his legs, along with a cough that produced blood. "It happened in the latter part of the fight. Roy was landing some good body shots," he explained from his Florida camp, where he recently resumed training. "After the fight, my right kidney had shut down, and I didn't know it. My ankles filled with fluid and I spat blood."
Ajamu gained notoriety after he became the hand-picked opponent of Roy Jones Jr., who was making a comeback after losing three straight bouts. Considering the fact that Jones lost two of those three fights by brutal KO, Ajamu came out like a house on fire against Jones, stunning him and forcing him to cover up on the ropes, where he absorbed Ajamu's best shots. He won that battle, but he was to lose the war, as Jones rebounded like the great champion he is.
"I couldn't breathe after that first round. I yelled it kind of loud, so Roy had to know I was having trouble breathing," said Ajamu. "I wasn't getting a free flow of oxygen. Buddy [McGirt] tried to calm me down, but I was concerned." Ajamu has since had minor surgery on his nasal passage.
In response to his bold strategy - which nearly worked - to take Jones out early, Ajamu said, "I didn't have a problem starting fast. I didn't think that was wrong. I could have felt him out first, but you know what? I would do it again. I was in shape to do that." When posed the same question after the fight, even Jones said that Ajamu's fast start made sense, and that he would have done the same thing.
Jones started taking over in round two, landing body shots with both hands. Ajamu was forced to use "Plan B", which, according to him was, "To muster strength, keep my hands up, come forward, and don't back up." The alternate plan saw Ajamu advancing forward and protecting his head, while firing single shots, leaving his body open to Jones's debilitating attack. "Roy is a brilliant fighter. He did what he had to do."
After the bout, Ajamu went home to New Jersey, and took his daughter to the beach in Wildwood, about 60 miles east of his hometown of Camden. "I took a few steps on the beach, and I was so tired," said Prince as he described the discovery of his injury. "I put on 25 pounds, which I never did in my life before. We were walking on the boardwalk and saw this clown who guesses your weight within 3 pounds. He said that I weighed 190, but when I stepped on the scale, I was 200 pounds! I drank no soda, no juice. I don't put on that kind of weight. I knew something was wrong.
I went home and called a doctor and told him I went running, but I was going really slowly, and my mouth kept filling with fluid and blood. He told me to go to the emergency room because I could have fluid around my heart or lungs. At the ER, they took blood tests, and Dr. Nick Capullo said that body shots from the fight caused my right kidney to shut down completely. He said it took a pretty good shot to do that and that I was a tough son of a gun. Gatti and De La Hoya got stopped with that [kind of] shot."
Now that he is healed, Prince can look back and reflect on his experiences in Idaho, where he went the distance with a future hall of fame fighter. "First, I learned to surround myself with good people. Everyone in Roy's corner had a job. He even had his sparring partners watching me get my hands wrapped," he said. "After the fight, in the ring, Roy told me that I had my stance too wide and not to stand that wide. He also told me to come in behind the jab more."
Ajamu says he is eager to get on with his career. He has moved back to Florida, where he has resumed working out with his Silverhawk Boxing teammates. "Silverhawk just signed Gerald "Jedi" Nobles. I moved around with him a few rounds today. Jerson Ravelo is here too, training for his bout with Allan Green."
Looking ahead, Ajamu says he would like to fight again "in December, or November if something becomes available." Ideally, he would like a TV bout. "I fought in on pay per view in my last bout, and I fought on a pay per view show in Atlantic City. It is important to me to fight on TV."
He continued, "American fighters should bring back the titles to America, and I want to be the fighter to start the trail. I want to target Fabrice Tiozzo, the WBA Light Heavyweight champion, in France. I want one fight here first - not a confidence builder. I want to go over [to France] on a good note. Tiozzo is 40-2 and still a champion. Like Bernard Hopkins and Virgil Hill, age doesn't matter to him. You've got to respect that."
In closing, Ajamu praised the man who helped him reach the really big time. "Roy Jones fought a great fight, a brilliant fight. I am happy for him. I didn't give him the win. He earned it. In the spirit of sportsmanship, I am happy for Roy. I will be back. Roy proved that all good fighters can come back."
Recovers from injury; targets Tiozzo
September 21, 2006
by Rick Scharmberg
photos by Armando Roldan
Prince Badi Ajamu (25-3-1, 14 KOs), of Camden, New Jersey, lost his NABO Light Heavyweight title in Boise, Idaho, on July 29 by unanimous decision to Roy Jones Jr.
His title was not the only thing he lost.
Three days post bout, after jogging on the beach in Wildwood, New Jersey, Ajamu felt extreme sluggishness in his legs, along with a cough that produced blood. "It happened in the latter part of the fight. Roy was landing some good body shots," he explained from his Florida camp, where he recently resumed training. "After the fight, my right kidney had shut down, and I didn't know it. My ankles filled with fluid and I spat blood."
Ajamu gained notoriety after he became the hand-picked opponent of Roy Jones Jr., who was making a comeback after losing three straight bouts. Considering the fact that Jones lost two of those three fights by brutal KO, Ajamu came out like a house on fire against Jones, stunning him and forcing him to cover up on the ropes, where he absorbed Ajamu's best shots. He won that battle, but he was to lose the war, as Jones rebounded like the great champion he is.
"I couldn't breathe after that first round. I yelled it kind of loud, so Roy had to know I was having trouble breathing," said Ajamu. "I wasn't getting a free flow of oxygen. Buddy [McGirt] tried to calm me down, but I was concerned." Ajamu has since had minor surgery on his nasal passage.
In response to his bold strategy - which nearly worked - to take Jones out early, Ajamu said, "I didn't have a problem starting fast. I didn't think that was wrong. I could have felt him out first, but you know what? I would do it again. I was in shape to do that." When posed the same question after the fight, even Jones said that Ajamu's fast start made sense, and that he would have done the same thing.
Jones started taking over in round two, landing body shots with both hands. Ajamu was forced to use "Plan B", which, according to him was, "To muster strength, keep my hands up, come forward, and don't back up." The alternate plan saw Ajamu advancing forward and protecting his head, while firing single shots, leaving his body open to Jones's debilitating attack. "Roy is a brilliant fighter. He did what he had to do."
After the bout, Ajamu went home to New Jersey, and took his daughter to the beach in Wildwood, about 60 miles east of his hometown of Camden. "I took a few steps on the beach, and I was so tired," said Prince as he described the discovery of his injury. "I put on 25 pounds, which I never did in my life before. We were walking on the boardwalk and saw this clown who guesses your weight within 3 pounds. He said that I weighed 190, but when I stepped on the scale, I was 200 pounds! I drank no soda, no juice. I don't put on that kind of weight. I knew something was wrong.
I went home and called a doctor and told him I went running, but I was going really slowly, and my mouth kept filling with fluid and blood. He told me to go to the emergency room because I could have fluid around my heart or lungs. At the ER, they took blood tests, and Dr. Nick Capullo said that body shots from the fight caused my right kidney to shut down completely. He said it took a pretty good shot to do that and that I was a tough son of a gun. Gatti and De La Hoya got stopped with that [kind of] shot."
Now that he is healed, Prince can look back and reflect on his experiences in Idaho, where he went the distance with a future hall of fame fighter. "First, I learned to surround myself with good people. Everyone in Roy's corner had a job. He even had his sparring partners watching me get my hands wrapped," he said. "After the fight, in the ring, Roy told me that I had my stance too wide and not to stand that wide. He also told me to come in behind the jab more."
Ajamu says he is eager to get on with his career. He has moved back to Florida, where he has resumed working out with his Silverhawk Boxing teammates. "Silverhawk just signed Gerald "Jedi" Nobles. I moved around with him a few rounds today. Jerson Ravelo is here too, training for his bout with Allan Green."
Looking ahead, Ajamu says he would like to fight again "in December, or November if something becomes available." Ideally, he would like a TV bout. "I fought in on pay per view in my last bout, and I fought on a pay per view show in Atlantic City. It is important to me to fight on TV."
He continued, "American fighters should bring back the titles to America, and I want to be the fighter to start the trail. I want to target Fabrice Tiozzo, the WBA Light Heavyweight champion, in France. I want one fight here first - not a confidence builder. I want to go over [to France] on a good note. Tiozzo is 40-2 and still a champion. Like Bernard Hopkins and Virgil Hill, age doesn't matter to him. You've got to respect that."
In closing, Ajamu praised the man who helped him reach the really big time. "Roy Jones fought a great fight, a brilliant fight. I am happy for him. I didn't give him the win. He earned it. In the spirit of sportsmanship, I am happy for Roy. I will be back. Roy proved that all good fighters can come back."
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