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Courtesy www.frankmaloney.com
As sure as the sun rises and sets, there invariably comes a night in every prospects respective career when the spoon feeding ceases all the questions that cloak him must finally be answered. For the undefeated Sechew ‘Iron Horse’ Powell, that night has not only arrived but is rapping loudly on his door.
The former New York Golden Gloves champion is primed for the final examination to determine whether he is indeed the real McCoy or, should he falter, a mere triumph of careful matchmaking. And in a game where illusion so often overshadows substance, you never truly know until you know – you know?
On Saturday night, Powell meets former world champion Kassim ‘The Dream’ Ouma in what promises to be the sternest, most danger riddled test of his young career. Ouma, after all, was not long ago considered the cream of the 154-pound division and, at 27, is still as suffused with fiery ambition as he was all those years ago when he catapulted onto the international scene as a young ball of limitless energy, shattering punch stat records and dazzling audiences.
Defeating the perennially tough Verno Phillips in only his 15th pro fight, he scored victories over a slew of contenders before seizing the vacant IBF 154-pound championship in 2004. In just his second defence, however, Ouma was surprisingly out-pointed by the avoided but, nonetheless, largely untested Roman Karmazin, twice visiting the canvas en route to a painfully one-sided unanimous decision loss. It was, at the time, considered a huge upset as many in the industry had confidently tipped him for great things.
Ouma, of course, spent his childhood years as a paramilitary solider in his native Uganda before escaping to America only to be gunned down and almost killed in a Miami shooting. As a world champion he was consequently seen as a beacon of hope, a man who had persevered through some unimaginable hardships and, through sheer force of will, realized his dream – and, because he seemed to forever be smiling that wonderful smile of his, it was both impossible and unthinkable not to love him.
The story, the persona and the ability seemed to be tied together in one perfect package, and before his career unexpectedly veered off course, it appeared as though he possessed all of the necessary ingredients to one day become a true superstars of the sport. Although it may not be too late, victory on Saturday night is nothing short of essential if such ambitions are ever to be realized.
Now fighting out of West Palm Beach, Florida, the inspirational southpaw whose charm is only matched by his head-scratching inconsistency is surely aware that, should he come up short against the markedly less experienced Powell at this crossroad junction in his career, it could well be enough to relegate him to the frosty purgatory of stepping stone status. His back is therefore against the wall, making him a very dangerous proposition indeed.
Powell, also 27, is a young fighter who made a name for himself by appearing on numerous Showtime telecasts. He was one of the hottest prospects to feature in the network’s much acclaimed ShoBox series and, since turning pro in 2002, has received the kind of exposure that every ascending pug dreams about.
Exposure breeds expectations, however, and when he steps into the ring this weekend there will be a lot of hype to live up to. With this being his coming out party, though, he will undoubtedly be at his sharpest and most determined. Having failed to impress in his HBO debut against the limited Willie Lee earlier this year, the pressure is really on him to perform against Ouma.
Although neither fighter is regarded as a puncher, it would seem that each has enough pop to hurt the other. Powell is perhaps the bettered schooled of the two, but what Ouma lacks in technical proficiency he more than make up for with athleticism and work rate. With that in mind, this one may well boil down to who wants it more as on paper they appear very evenly matched indeed. The big fight experience lies with Ouma, however, so one has to make him the slight favourite.
