The Caribbean paradise of St. Lucia is best known for cricket when it comes to sports but fans at the Beausejour Cricket Ground on November 16 won’t be watching leg-spinners or fast bowlers. Instead, they’ll see an intriguing pair of bouts that can also be caught on Showtime. Olympic Gold Medalist Andre Ward faces unbeaten Roger Cantrell in the super middleweight main event, while rising heavyweights Teke Oruh and Joey Abell collide in the co-feature. For Oruh, a former Nigerian amateur standout now residing in Las Vegas, its an opportunity he hopes to make the most of.
“Everybody’s looking at me now so I’m working harder,” Oruh said, speaking by phone. “My first time on Showtime-I want to put up a good show so they invite me more. It make me work harder.”
“I don’t know much about him (Abell),” he said. “I heard he’s a southpaw; 6’5. Just go and box. I know the end of the day, I’ll come back with the victory.”
Victory has been a constant for Oruh since he turned pro in 2001. The 29-year-old carries an unbeaten record of 14-0-1(6) into the bout, with a 6 round majority decision over former prospect Jason Gavern last May. Oruh overcame a first round knockdown to earn the victory, and admits the bout was a learning experience.
“Yeah, I need to be patient more,” he said. “Gavern-he’s a little bit awkward and stuff so I learn a little bit from him. Every fight you meet, you learn. You just keep on learning.”
It’s accurate to say Oruh has an intellectual approach to boxing. He's studied the styles of all-time greats like Ali and Hearns. A boxing fan since childhood, Teke began training seriously as a teen.
“I started when I was 8 but my Dad wouldn’t let me box,” Oruh recalled. “(He said) ‘Hey man, you gotta go to school. Leave boxing.’”
“I left and picked it up when I was 16, but all along I’ve been watching. I want(ed) to box so bad. My Dad wanted me to be a man first. I think that was right. Sixteen was a good time for me.”
If Oruh prevails against Abell, he’d like to have “2 or 3 more fights” before taking on the division’s top fighters. His ultimate goal is championship gold.
“My dream is to get one of these titles. I pray by God’s grace I get it before I retire.”
Ward returns to primetime
Ward's bout with Cantrell marks his return to the national spotlight. The 2004 Olympian has been honing his skills in some off-TV bouts in California.
"Quite frankly, those have been some tough fights for him," Goossen Tutor Promotions executive Craig Goossen said.
Goossen said there has been "steady progress" in the development of the 23-year-old, and believes Ward will impress Friday night.
"Andre is a very professional guy," he said. "This is a big fight. We' know he'll sparkle on the 16th in St. Lucia."
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