Top rated contender RICHARD COMMEY, (24-2-0, 22 KO’s) of Accra, Ghana, is leaving Moscow and heading home after suffering a hotly contested battle and controversial split decision loss to Russia’s DENIS SHAFIKOV, (38-2-1, 20 KO’s) today in their 12-round IBF Lightweight World Title Eliminator. Scores were 116-112 for Commey and 116-112, 115-113 for Shafikov.
Ghanaian lightweight star Richard Commey (24-1, 22 KOs) faces two-time World title challenger Denis Shafikov (37-2-1, 12 KOs) in a final eliminator for the IBF World title tonight at the Tough Fight Gym in Moscow.
Ghana’s Richard Oblitey Commey believes he needs as many of his fans as possible to cheer him on when he faces hard customer, Denis Shafikov next week Friday, December 2 at the Tough Fight Gym in the Russia capital, Moscow in a mandatory final eliminator for the IBF Lightweight world title.
Commey (24-1, 22 KOs) hopes to set up a rematch with American, Robert Easter Jnr with victory over the highly rated Shafikov (37-2-1, 20 KOs) whose only two career defeats came via decisions in world title fights against Miguel Vazquez in 2014 and Rances Barthelemy in 2015.
Middleweight world champion Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs (32-1, 29 KOs) retained his title and knocked down former world champion Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora (28-5-2, 9 KOs) five times on his way to a seventh-round TKO in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions on Spike Friday night from Santander Arena in Reading, Pa.
The bout was a rematch of their championship fight last August that saw Jacobs win by TKO despite being dropped in the first round. Mora suffered an ankle injury on the punch that ended the last fight but he was not able to capitalize on his second chance.
There is no turning back now as Richard Oblitey Commey’s date of destiny approaches ever quicker with his Commonwealth Lightweight date against Gary Buckland now on July 12 barely days away.
The unbeaten Ghanaian’s long awaited quest to wear the Commonwealth Lightweight belt takes centrestage at the York Hall, Bethnal Green in London next weekend when he squares up against Welshman Gary Buckland for a title he first got the opportunity to fight for a year ago.
One fighter after another had failed to make it into the ring for the bout for the British empire belt with Commey even making time in-between to fight for and win the African Boxing Union (ABU) Lightweight title on December 26.
World title chasing Ghanaian, Richard Oblitey Commey maintained his 100% win and 100% knockout record with a round 8 technical stoppage of compatriot Prince Ofotsu to become the new Africa Boxing Union (ABU) Lightweight champion on Boxing Day in Accra.
Highly rated boxer, Richard Oblitey Commey returned back home to Ghana last Friday to a gargantuan welcome at the Kotoka International Airport after beating Paul Truscott in London on July 13 in a final eliminator for the Commonwealth Lightweight title.
With new surprise recipient of the particular belt, Derry Matthews scheduled for his first voluntary defence against Curtis Woodhouse on September 21, Commey has returned home to train and possibly fight for the IBF International title before the eventual clash for the Commonwealth championship by close of year.
But perhaps the biggest gain of their journey to the United Kingdom may have been the one-week sparring and training camp they had with WBO Lightweight champion, Ricky Burns in Scotland as Burns prepares for the defence of his world title against Raymundo Beltran on September 7 in the United States.
World title hopeful, Richard Commey is in high spirits and predicting nothing but victory in his scheduled July 13 fight in the UK against Paul Truscott in a final eliminator for the Commonwealth Lightweight title.
Hitherto UK based Commey has been training in Ghana with his coach, Carl Lokko and has sparred with some of this country’s best boxers including former IBF Welterweight champion, Joshua Clottey and Obodai Sai, a former Commonwealth Lightweight champion.
Now he says he is ready to emulate his illustrious compatriots by going for the ultimate beginning with the date against Truscott at the York Hall, Bethnal Green in London, the very venue of two previous victories in his 15-0, 15 KOs resume.