Unbeaten Heavyweight Leo Atang Stops Dan Garber In A Round, Improves To 5-0(5)

Earlier tonight, on the Leigh Wood-Josh Warrington II card in Nottingham, 19-year-old heavyweight sensation Leo Atang stopped his most experienced pro opponent yet in southpaw Dan Garber. Atang of York came out blazing, and his fast and powerful hands got the job done in a little over 60 seconds. Atang blasted Garber into the ropes, and then the prospect made sure to get the stoppage win.

Not all of Atang’s shots found their target, with Atang guilty of being somewhat wild, even Deontay Wilder wild, but Garber was seen as being sufficiently hurt enough for the third man to make his move and dive in and stop the fight. Garber protested, and to be fair, some do feel tonight’s stoppage was on the premature side, but Atang was perhaps mere seconds away from getting the win anyway. 40-year-old Garber is now 11-7(2).

Atang, who can be expected to return to action soon, said that he felt the referee might have jumped in a little too soon. Atang also shot down the constant comparisons between himself and fellow British heavyweight star in the making, Moses Itauma, who also stopped Garber in a round when he fought him.

“I will put this to bed now. There is no need to make comparisons,” Atang said. “He [Itauma] is a lot higher [ranked] than me; I’ve got a long way to go. But who knows what will happen down the line?”

On whether tonight’s fight was stopped prematurely, Atang said he felt the fight could have gone a little longer.

“I felt we could have gone a little longer, but it is what it is,” he said. “It’s out of my hands, and maybe the referee was just protecting him.”

Fans are eager to see how far Atang can go, but as the teenager said himself today, his journey is just getting started. Atang has also said that he fully believes it is his destiny to become the world heavyweight champion. Maybe. And a fight between Atang and Itauma, 20-0(10), and close to returning to the ring when he will face the durable Jermain Franklin next month, could be a thrilling showdown to witness somewhere in the future.