British Boxing Champ Tony Oakey Achieves Light Heavyweight Dream

By Simon Jackson

Tony Oakey’s prediction that 2007 was going to be his year was proved correct on Friday night at London’s Docklands ExCel Arena when the 31 year old produced an impressive boxing display to stop Steven Spartacus and become the new British light heavyweight champion.

Oakey has long had his sights set on this prize and it is public knowledge that the likeable family man moved to London from Portsmouth last year to train with Johnny Eames in a bid to further his career.

Oakey’s first opportunity to attain his dream was cruelly snatched away at Wembley Arena three weeks ago when his bout with Peter Oboh, the titleholder, was abandoned when the champion refused to leave his dressing room just an hour before the fight.

Oboh was immediately stripped of the title and it was apparent from the moment Oakey stepped into the ring last night that he was a man on a mission as he started strongly, rocking Spartacus on his heels in the third round.

The former Portsmouth resident continued to give no quarter and rattled Spartacus again in the sixth and eighth rounds before the Ipswich fighter briefly raised his game in the ninth.

This did nothing but antagonise Oakey who came straight back at the Ipswich resident in the tenth and continued to build on his already significant point’s advantage.

A point’s victory was not to be though as Oakey, sensing his dream was about to become a reality, stepped up the tempo in the twelfth and almost immediately had the gallant Spartacus pinned on the ropes causing referee Richie Davies to intervene and stop the contest 34 seconds into the final round.

The manner of Oakey’s victory left a huge impression those present and Oakey’s promoter Frank Maloney in particular: “Tonight is the best I’ve seen Tony Oakey fight in his whole career,” said Maloney of the fighter whose next bout will be against the talented Brian Magee, so impressive in his light heavyweight debut in March.

“I’m sure Magee’s people will want it [the fight] in Belfast but we will deliver it to Portsmouth,” Maloney continued.

While others plan Oakey’s future the man of the moment is unlikely to be doing the same:

“I don’t like to look too far ahead,” Oakey said earlier. “I like to take it one fight at a time as I feel any man who gets into a ring deserves respect and I have never been one to shout about things. I just like to do my talking in the ring.”

Courtesy www.frankmaloney.com