Prime
Amoko walks talk vs. returning Adinan
UPDF's Innocent Amoko (UPDF BC) in red against Yasin Adinan of Mutajjazi in week four of the Boxing Champions League at New Club Obligato. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
From the first bell, Amoko proved the favourite for this light welterweight battle, unleashing his trademark quick hands and landing powerful head and body shots against Adinan, who started cautiously.
UPDF's Innocent Amoko didn't knock Yasin Adinan down even once, as he had threatened, but doubtless he enjoyed his run to a deserved 5-0 victory against a hugely experienced opponent in the first hour of Sunday night in the main fight of the Uganda Boxing League Week Four.
From the first bell, Amoko proved the favourite for this light welterweight battle, unleashing his trademark quick hands and landing powerful head and body shots against Adinan, who started cautiously.
However, towards the end of the first round, Adinan, a southpaw confined in his blue corner, retaliated with a heavy uppercut to Amoko's chin, forcing the referee to count.
That didn't not push Amoko back even once as the rising star, known for fearless fighting, unleashed more hunger amid deafening noise, largely from Adinan's Kibuli squad that dominated the fully-packed New Obligato.
By the third round, they were singing 'akooye, akooye,' meaning 'he is tired' but neither fighter was close to tired.
By the fourth round, the noise had descended to lower volumes, as reality dictated Adinan needed something spectacular to turn the fight in his favour. And in the fifth round, as the Kibuli gang sang 'y'esemba', they wanted their fighter to turn into the real Black Panther, like his nickname, and grab victory in the last round.
Perhaps this was asking too much of Adinan, who had not fought in 15 months, and struggled to shed more kilos even the day prior.
Rather credit Adinan for returning to fighting shape, fighting smart (despite spitting the gumshield thrice to buy time) and losing honourably to one of the most promising talents, who boasts recent international exposure at the African Games, as his opponent battled ghetto trouble.
After the last bell, Amoko jumped to the ropes and posed like a hungry beast, prematurely celebrating his unanimous decision victory. Water flew into the ring as both fighters had press interviews, but as some Kibuli fans later confessed, they were just angry about the loss, not contesting it.
Prior, another youngster Moses Kimera stunned the mature Frank Kasozi with a dominant performance in a flyweight duel.
Kimera, in his first league season as an elite, quickly recovered from an early siege as Kasozi landed heavy shots to the body and the head, before Kimera's well-timed left hook sent him to the canvas. It was late in the first half. But Kasozi never recovered. He lost concentration, balance, everything. Kimera triumphed 5-0.
Meanwhile, light heavyweight Sadat Kilwana showed admirable gallantry fighting three rounds with just one arm after dislocating his left shoulder in the second round. Through the pain, he refused to surrender but Ronald Wandera failed to capitalise on it to stop him, despite winning 5-0.
