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Last Friday in the inaugural boxing card of Chicago Fight Club Promotion, held at Hanging Garden Banquets in River Grove, Illinois, led by the manager and promoter team of Wasfi and Cynthia Tolaymat, Osumanu Adama won the vacant U.S.B.A. and IBO Inter-Continental Middleweight titles with a mean looking fourth round knockout over Marcus Upshaw. An amateur boxing card led by Chicago trainer Sam Colonna, head of the Chicago Boxing Club, preceded the professional boxing card.
Adama, buoyed by a cell phone call from Hall of Fame boxing champion Azumah Nelson of Ghana (who called him from England just before the start of this bout), missed with an overhand right, then followed with a left to the jaw of Upshaw at lightning fast speed, who was squatting down to Adama’s level. The punch deflated the gloves of Upshaw and sent him to the canvas for a count of eight, leading to the stoppage at 0:42 of round four.
Adama, now 19-2 (14), from Chicago, Illinois, by way of Accra, Ghana, gave away substantial height and reach to Marcus Upshaw, now 13-5-1 (6), Jacksonville, Florida. Adama’s game plan was to use pressure and angles, fighting like a Manny Pacquiao clone, fighting Upshaw from constantly changing angles and moving fast, with excellent head movement which created an extremely difficult target for Upshaw to find.
Adama was more aggressive and a busier fighter, throwing a lot of jabs and some body shots over the first three rounds.
Upshaw’s game plan was to keep punching in bunches, stand tall and keep his distance. In the first round, Upshaw landed a few nice straight jabs to the head, but it wasn’t enough. As the bout progressed, Upshaw got sloppy and careless, squatting down to Adama’s level instead of standing straight up and using his size and height to his advantage, and let Adama get in too close. One instant of broken concentration allowed Adama’s left to get through. Upshaw fell to the canvas, the ring shook, and Upshaw rolled over on the canvas, down and out. He somehow beat the count at eight, but was out on his feet.
Former world champion Angel Manfredy, Chicago area boxers Donavan George, Mike Mollo, Omar Henry, David Latoria, Theron Johnson, Carl Davis, David Estrada, Detroit boxer Marlon Thomas and MMA fighter Boban Samic were among those in attendance.
