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Perhaps you might not know who Kassim Ouma is. But I can tell you that he just might be the best light middleweight in the world. Kassim Ouma (21-1-1, 13KOs) was on the fast track to superstardom before being laid out by Agustin Silva in November 1999 and has since had to prove to the fans and critics that he is for real. Kassim has had a tough life; he was forced to be a boy soldier at the age of seven and was yanked out of Elementary School to serve ten years in the National Resistance Army in Uganda. I don’t care what anyone says about his boxing, this man is tough. He was an instructor and saw war first hand, his storyline is there, you just need to embrace him; he possesses great skill, and exudes confidence and just wants to fight a big name. With no big names in the division right now with the departures of Fernando Vargas and Oscar de la Hoya, he looks to go after the big fight. He takes on Roman “Made in Hell” Karmazin on July 14 in defense of his title.
Ouma’s critics will be the first to tell you that he lacks the focus and has a carefree lifestyle. The part about the lifestyle may be true but this man was basically held captive and bred into a killer when most of us were playing with action figures. Ouma has beaten Verno Phillips, considered the gatekeeper of that division twice. He has toughed out victories over the likes of Angel Hernandez and Kofi Jantuah and wants the big names. Just one problem, nobody wants to fight him. HBO turned him down several times and now will have to defend his world title on Thursday in Las Vegas. Did I mention that the prices of the tickets are ten percent lower than regular championship fights just to get people to see Kassim? What is happening to this talented boxer is a “Winky”-esque shame. If and when he beats Karmazin, he should look at his options of moving up in weight or luring a name like Ricardo Mayorga to fight him at 154-pounds, as my opinion still stands today that he is the best fighter in that division.
He has weaknesses but every gifted boxer does. His lone loss came when he clowned around against Silva; Ouma claims to have been looking at his girlfriend in the seats. He reminds me of a younger and faster “Winky” Wright. He is a quick southpaw who can out-hustle anyone he faces. At twenty-six, he is in the prime of his career. All he wants you to do is give him a chance. After all, he deserves it and hasn’t done much complaining. Any fan should appreciate a fighter who will fight for free if he must.
David Shipman can be reached at davidshipman1@yahoo.com
