Izu Ugonoh
- Cruiserweight
- Heavyweight
- Heavyweight (MMA)
- 2010–2019 (boxing)
- 2020–present (MMA)
Izuagbe Ugonoh (born 2 November 1986) is a Polish mixed martial artist and former professional boxer and kickboxer. He is a graduate of the Jędrzej Śniadecki University School of Physical Education and Sport in Gdańsk.
Early life
Izuagbe was born to Nigerian parents in the Polish city of Szczecin. He graduated from the Jędrzej Śniadecki University School of Physical Educations and Sport in Gdańsk.
Kickboxing career
He trained kick boxing at Gdańsk club GKSK Corpus. Due to his similarity in appearance and fighting style he is sometimes called the Polish Remy Bonjasky. He has also been inspired by Gökhan Saki.[citation needed]
In 2009, in the Austrian city of Villach, he won the Kickboxing World Championships gold medal in K-1 Rules to 91 kg, defeating Vladimir Mineev.[1] In 2010, he became European champion in the same formula in Baku. He met the local Zamig Athakishiyev in the final.[2][3]
Professional boxing career
Early career
On 16 October 2010, he made his professional debut as a boxer in Legionowo, beating Igoris Papunia from Lithuania by first-round knockout.[4] He fought his second professional fight on 20 November 2010, in a show in Nysa, during which he defeated Pavel Habra by technical KO in the first round. Ugonoh's first fight of 2011 was against Rad Rashid on the 2 April. Ugonoh won the bout by unanimous decision over four rounds. Ugonoh went on to gain five stoppage wins by the end of 2012. He fought once in 2013, defeating Lukasz Rusiewicz by unanimous decision in a six-round bout. In 2014, Ugonoh started training under Kevin Barry while being signed to Duco Events,[5] and became a regular sparring partner for Joseph Parker.[6] Ugonoh also fought once in 2014 knocking out Junior Maletino Lakopo in two rounds.
Ugonoh next fought on the 5 March 2015, against Thomas Peato.[7] Ugonoh won the bout by second-round knockout. He went on to gain wins over Julius Long[8] and Will Quarrie[9] before facing Ibrahim Labaran for the interim WBA Oceania and WBO Africa heavyweight titles.[10] Ugonoh won the fight by first-round knockout. He also got a first-round knockout win against Vicente Sandez in December 2015.[11] Ugonoh's first fight of 2016 was against Ricardo Humberto Ramirez, which he won by knockout in the fourth round.[12] Ugonoh next fought on the 1 October, knocking out Gregory Tony in two rounds to pick up the vacant IBF Mediterranean heavyweight title.[13] In December 2016, Ugonoh left his promoter Duco Events David Higgins after being with them for two years.[14] Ugonoh shortly signed with Al Haymon after his departure from Duco.[15]
Ugonoh vs. Breazeale
On the 25 February 2017, Ugonoh faced former world title challenger Dominic Breazeale on the under card of Deontay Wilder vs Gerald Washington, in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Breazeale was ranked #11 by the WBC at heavyweight at the time.[16] Ugonoh was ranked 7th in WBO[17] and 9th in IBF.[18] In a back and forth fight which saw both men hit the canvas, Breazeale came out on top after he dropped Ugonoh through the ropes in the fifth round. The fights' third round won the round of the year from The Ring Magazine. This was the last fight Ugonoh fought under his trainer Kevin Barry.
Career from 2018
After losing to Breazeale in 2017, Ugonoh next returned to the ring on the 25 May 2018.
Ugonoh vs. Kassi
Ugonoh faced Fred Kassi in a ten-round bout, winning the fight by stoppage after Kassi was retired on his stool at the end of the second round.[19]
Professional boxing titles
- World Boxing Association
- interim Oceania heavyweight title
- World Boxing Organization
- interim Africa heavyweight title
- Africa heavyweight title
- International Boxing Federation
- Mediterranean heavyweight title
Professional boxing record
20 fights | 18 wins | 2 losses |
---|---|---|
By knockout | 15 | 2 |
By decision | 3 | 0 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 | Loss | 18–2 | Łukasz Różański | KO | 4 (10), 2:27 | 6 Jul 2019 | Stadion Miejski, Rzeszów, Poland | |
19 | Win | 18–1 | Fred Kassi | RTD | 2 (10), 3:00 | 25 May 2018 | Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland | |
18 | Loss | 17–1 | Dominic Breazeale | TKO | 5 (10), 0:50 | 25 Feb 2017 | Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama, USA | |
17 | Win | 17–0 | Grégory Tony | TKO | 2 (10), 2:26 | 01 Oct 2016 | Vodafone Events Centre, Auckland, New Zealand | Won vacant IBF Mediterranean heavyweight title |
16 | Win | 16–0 | Ricardo Humberto Ramírez | KO | 4 (10), 1:47 | 21 Jul 2016 | Horncastle Arena, Christchurch, New Zealand | Retained WBO Africa heavyweight title |
15 | Win | 15–0 | Vicente Sandez | KO | 1 (10), 1:11 | 05 Dec 2015 | Claudelands Arena, Hamilton, New Zealand | Retained interim WBO Africa heavyweight title |
14 | Win | 14–0 | Ibrahim Labaran | TKO | 1 (10), 2:38 | 15 Oct 2015 | Trusts Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand | Won interim WBA Oceania & WBO Africa heavyweight titles |
13 | Win | 13–0 | Will Quarrie | KO | 2 (10), 2:14 | 01 Aug 2015 | Stadium Southland, Invercargill, New Zealand | |
12 | Win | 12–0 | Julius Long | UD | 8 | 13 Jun 2015 | Arena Manawatu, Palmerston North, New Zealand | |
11 | Win | 11–0 | Thomas Peato | TKO | 2 (6), 1:15 | 05 Mar 2015 | Vodafone Events Centre, Auckland, New Zealand | |
10 | Win | 10–0 | Junior Maletino Iakopo | TKO | 2 (6), 1:04 | 16 Oct 2014 | Trusts Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand | |
9 | Win | 9–0 | Lukasz Rusiewicz | UD | 6 | 23 Feb 2013 | Ergo Arena, Gdańsk, Poland | |
8 | Win | 8–0 | Mathieu Monnier | TKO | 5 (6) | 08 Dec 2012 | Spodek, Katowice, Poland | |
7 | Win | 7–0 | Björn Blaschke | TKO | 6 (6), 1:05 | 17 Mar 2012 | MOSiR Ice Rink, Krynica-Zdrój, Poland | |
6 | Win | 6–0 | Florians Strupits | TKO | 1 (6), 1:50 | 03 Dec 2011 | Hilton Warsaw Hotel, Warsaw, Poland | |
5 | Win | 5–0 | Fatih Ceyhan | RTD | 3 (4), 3:00 | 12 Nov 2011 | Gdynia Sports Arena, Gdynia, Poland | |
4 | Win | 4–0 | Patrick Berger | TKO | 2 (4), 2:08 | 15 Oct 2011 | Spodek, Katowice, Poland | |
3 | Win | 3–0 | Rashid Raad | UD | 4 | 02 Apr 2011 | Łuczniczka, Bydgoszcz, Poland | |
2 | Win | 2–0 | Pavel Habr | TKO | 1 (4), 2:47 | 20 Nov 2010 | AZS PWSZ Nysa, Nysa, Poland | |
1 | Win | 1–0 | Igor Papunia | KO | 1 (4), 1:29 | 16 Oct 2010 | Arena Legionowo, Legionowo, Poland |
Mixed martial arts career
On July 11, 2020, news surfaced that Ugonoh transitioned from boxing to mixed martial arts and had signed a contract with Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki. He made his mixed martial arts debut at KSW 54 on August 29, 2020.[20] In his first fight he defeated Quentin Domingos.
Ugonoh was scheduled to make his sophomore MMA appearance against the undefeated heavyweight prospect Thomas Narmo at KSW 60,[21] but Narmo was forced off the card on March 6 with an rib injury. The undefeated German Uğur Özkaplan served as Narmo's replacement.[22] In turn, Özkaplan was replaced by Marek Samociuk.[23] He lost the bout via TKO in the second round after gassing in the first round.[24]
Ugonoh rematched with Marek Samociuk at KSW 70 on May 28, 2022. He lost the bout again, losing via TKO stoppage due to ground and pound in the first round.[25]
Mixed martial arts record
3 matches | 1 win | 2 losses |
By knockout | 1 | 2 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1–2 | Marek Samociuk | TKO (punches) | KSW 70: Pudzianowski vs. Materla | May 28, 2022 | 1 | 3:38 | Łódź, Poland | |
Loss | 1–1 | Marek Samociuk | TKO (punches) | KSW 60: De Fries vs. Narkun 2 | April 24, 2021 | 2 | 0:27 | Łódź, Poland | |
Win | 1–0 | Quentin Domingos | TKO (leg injury) | KSW 54: Gamrot vs. Ziółkowski | August 29, 2020 | 1 | 2:22 | Warsaw, Poland |
[26]
Personal life
Ugonoh also played a wrestling cameo in the Polish movie Afonia and the bees (2009) directed by Jan Jakub Kolski.
He calls himself a "black Pole" and says that he proudly represents Poland on the international arena. He often jokes that when he looks into a mirror, he "doesn't know what happened", referring to his skin color as atypical for ethnic Poles, a white ethnic group.[27]
His sister, Osuenhe "Osi" Ugonoh, works as a professional model, and is known for winning Poland's 4th edition of Top Model reality television series in 2014.[28]
See also
References
- ^ "World Light Contact, Low Kick, K -1 Villach, Austria 19-26.10.2009 Rules". Polish Association of Kickboxing. Retrieved 26 November 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Bałanda and European champions Ugonoh". trojmiasto.pl. November 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
- ^ "Description of the championship fights Izu website GKSK Corpus". gkskcorpus.pl. Archived from the original on 20 June 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
- ^ "Impressive victory 'Izu' in debut". ringpolska.pl. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
- ^ DUNCAN JOHNSTONE. "Boxer Izuagbe Ugonoh wants Pole position". Stuff NZ. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ DUNCAN JOHNSTONE. "New Zealand heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker takes his fitness to a new level". Stuff NZ. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ Patrick McKendry. "Boxing: Parker too powerful for Pettaway". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ George Heagney. "Joseph Parker knocks out opponent Yakup Saglam in two rounds in Palmerston North". Stuff NZ. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ Logan Savory. "Novice boxer Kaleni Taetuli floors Brown Buttabean to earn knockout bonus". Stuff NZ. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ Duncan Johnstone. "Willis Meehan wins in controversial one-sided boxing bout". Stuff NZ. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ "Video highlights: Ugonoh drops Sandez for KO win - Fight for Life". Newshub. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ Chris Barclay. "Christchurch's Bowyn Morgan suffers first professional boxing defeat". Stuff NZ. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ "New Zealand heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker up to No 5 in WBO rankings". Stuff NZ. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ DUNCAN JOHNSTONE. "Joseph Parker's stablemate Izu Ugonoh leaves for his own challenge". Stuff NZ. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ BRYCE WILSON (5 December 2016). "Izu Ugonoh Explains His Decision To Sign on With Al Haymon". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ "Breazeale vs Ugonoh - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- ^ "WBO February 2017 rankings" (PDF). WBO. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ "IBF January 2017 rankings". IBF. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ "BoxRec: Login". boxrec.com. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- ^ Tudor Leonte (12 July 2020). "KSW Signs Former Pro Boxing Heavyweight Champion Izu Ugonoh". sherdog.com.
- ^ Sporty walki (21 March 2021). "Izu Ugonoh - Thomas Narmo: Pierwsze spotkanie twarzą w twarz". polsatsport.pl. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ "KSW 60: Izu Ugonoh with a new rival. Thomas Narmo injury". polsatsport.pl. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ Grabosz, Rafał (20 April 2021). "Zwycięzca turnieju walk na gołe pięści nowym rywalem Izu Ugonoha na KSW 60 | MMAROCKS". MMA Rocks! (in Polish). Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ^ Staff (24 April 2021). "KSW 60: De Fries vs. Narkun Results". Cageside Press. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ "KSW 70: Samociuk pokonał Ugonoha po raz drugi". www.polsatsport.pl (in Polish). 28 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "IZUAGBE". Sherdog. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- ^ "Ugonoh: Z dumą reprezentuję Polskę". sport.dziennik.pl. 24 March 2010.
- ^ "Osi Ugonoh wygrała 4. edycję "Top Model"!". TVN (Polish TV channel) (in Polish). 24 November 2014. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018.
External links
- Boxing record for Izu Ugonoh from BoxRec (registration required)
- Izuagbe Ugonoh at Polish FilmWeb
Sporting positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Regional boxing titles | ||||
Vacant Title last held by Joseph Parker | WBA Oceania heavyweight champion interim title 15 October 2015 – April 2016 Vacated | Vacant Title next held by Junlong Zhang | ||
Vacant Title last held by Joseph Parker | WBO Africa heavyweight champion 15 October 2015 – July 2016 Vacated | Vacant Title next held by Ebenezer Tetteh | ||
Vacant Title last held by Cyril Leonet | IBF Mediterranean heavyweight champion 1 October 2016 – present | Incumbent | ||
Awards | ||||
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