Reigning All Africa Games middleweight champion, Nigeria’s Edith Agu-Ogoke began her professional boxing career last weekend in the United States on a good note as she gained a unanimous decision over another debutant, American Kiara Marquez.
The ‘Lioness of the World’ as the Nigerian is fondly called unanimously won the fight decided at the DeCarlo’s Convention Centre, Warren, USA 39-37, and 40-36 on the two cards.
Ogoke, a southpaw, according to www.womenofboxing.com was too big and powerful as she relentlessly pressured Carrasquillo throughout four rounds of the only women’s action on the event’s card.
The Imo State-born Olympian, who remains the only Nigeria female boxer to have featured at the Olympics [London 2012] stalked her opponent, forcing the issue for the complete two-minute of the first two rounds.
Ogoke often abandoned her technique, opting for erratic looping hooks intended to inflict damage on Kiara. This attack might’ve been fuelled by eagerness, or the fact the Nigerian was finally getting to display her skills in the professional ranks.
Under constant duress, Kiara stayed on the move looking to evade the bigger Ogoke’s power-punching. She found it difficult to mount her own attack inside of Ogoke’s wild swinging.
Kiara was able to stand withstand the 2014 African Women Boxing Championship winner throughout the third round, where she began landing some shots of her own as fatigue lowered the Nigerian’s punching output.
The 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, Ogoke caught a second wind in the fourth round, and resumed her swarming attack, and while Kiara couldn’t fend Ogoke off with her power, she capitalised on her momentum in the previous round to give a better account of her abilities.
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