Boxing

Antwun Echols: On the Brink of Success

By Phillip Przybylo

25.06 - Some fighters go entire careers hoping, wishing, and praying for that one title shot. Antwun Echols earned two of them. Unfortunately, he had to fight the current top dog in boxing, Bernard Hopkins, both times. The Davenport, IA, USA, native had been disappointed by defeat before, but the two losses to the middleweight champ seemed to be the centerpiece of a motif of adversity throughout his career. The career has had its share of up's and down's. Antwun has persevered through it all, though, while putting himself on the cusp of a third shot at glory.

"The first fight, Bernard was dirty," explained the now 168 pounder to Eastside Boxing recently about his more famous fights. "And I didn't understand all that. But that's what the professionals do, the top guys that have been there the longest and that got the experience. So, he used all the tricks in the book to slow me down and stop me from doing what I was doing. And I don't knock him for doing that.

"Now, the second fight, I understood what he was doing and why he was doing it. So, I tried to do some of the things he was doing. But the referee didn't see it that way. And I thought (the fight was stopped prematurely). I mean, shoot, I was getting hit with solid shots, like, two rounds before that, and the referee didn't do nothing. And then he hit me with one shot, I went backwards, and the referee stopped it. So, that was BS. I was still on my feet. I didn't get knocked down. Let me get knocked out or something, knocked down or something. I was not hurt."

Spirited efforts and rocking the middleweight champion in both of those outings (the second one being one of the roughest fights in recent memory) did not save him from eventual defeat. However, the current NABA and NABF super middleweight champion, who prepares for a bout this Thursday opposite Oscar Bravo, is no stranger to having the cards stacked up against him. From the onset of his career, his very first professional match, he was introduced to the politics of a sport that the great Hugh McIlvanney calls, "the hardest game."

"In my first fight, I wish I had a promoter, or somebody beside me, because that really hurt me. And I was upset about that for a long, long time--the Anthony Ivory loss. He had something like twenty something fights. And my coach, he was old at the time, he just wanted me to fight, and I wanted to fight. They told me he was 0-7. Actually, it was the last seven fights he had lost. But they didn't tell it to us like that. So, I got stopped my first fight. Y'know, I made a comeback, but my record could have been flawless."

Either way, the sport was and is lucky to have had him back. In a super middleweight division devoid of any breakout superstar or alluring personality, the 30-year old brings an exciting ring style, respectable resume, and a captivating personality. However, the darker side of his story was not over yet. More times of trouble were on their way by his 15th pro bout. A majority decision to Chris Johnson in Canada did not sit all too well with Echols. "I got cheated with Chris Johnson, too--split decision--and I know I beat the crap out of him," relented the title contender. Two months later, he found himself on the wrong side of more controversy when he drew with current WBC titlist Eric Lucas in Canada again.

"I fought Eric Lucas six months after he fought Roy Jones. I was actually a junior middleweight and went up to light heavyweight. I was a junior middleweight jumping up to 172. Actually, I had Eric Lucas stopped in the first round. And the referee picked him up and said, 'Are you okay?' And Eric slouched back down on the ropes. And it was like, he was at the count of nine and then he picked him up. This is the thing--the fight was supposed to be televised on a tape delayed basis. But since Eric got beat up so bad, they didn't even show nobody. We can't even find the tape!"

Although he would like a third shot at Hopkins ("Ahh, I can taste it," he says, "I feel it in my stomach. I want him again."), he realizes a more likely opponent may be another old nemesis. So, he sets his sights on the title holding Lucas once again. But, first, the veteran sporting a record of 27-4-1 has to worry about Oscar Bravo this Thursday night in Santa Ana, NM. Not that it makes a difference to "Kid Dynamite."

"ESPN gave us an easy fight, so, I'm going to use it to my advantage," boasted the favorite of the televised main event. "I want to get like three or four rounds in. It's going to be a quick night. I'm going to get 3 or 4 rounds in and let the world see what I've been working on. This fight's going to be devastating. You're gonna see a lot more combos, jabs, and body shots. Quick night. I'd say about the fourth round he'll be out of there." He does let up a little and traditionally credits his opponent. "Oscar's no bum. Actually, he's a good midwest fighter. I've seen him fight twice, and I've always heard of him. We're only like 2 and a half hours away from each other. And midwest guys never get that many opportunities. So, I gave him an opportunity to fight a top contender."

The extreme confidence he exudes leading in to the fight is certainly justifiable. He has looked in rare form as of late, beating three ranked contenders in impressive fashion since his last loss to Hopkins. "Anybody from 160 to 168 can't deal with me," claimed Antwun. With the addition of a diagnosis and cure of a blood disorder that effected his legs, he is even better. "My legs are coming back; they're much stronger. Like this camp--I've been boxing my butt off! And I have never boxed in my whole career. Actually, I was just a street fighter in the boxing world."

His luck continues to turn for the better as his relationship with his trainer has blossomed, and he is happy training outside of Iowa and in St. Petersburg. "Well, I'm proud that I got myself down here in St. Petersburg, training with a great trainer, Dan Birmingham. I got positive people around me. His father in-law, Andy (who owns an Italian restaurant). And when I don't have the funds to do what I have to do, he takes care of me. And I got positive people around me, and that's what keeps me going."

"I mean, I've been sparring with Winky Wright, a hell of a boxer. I don't take nothing away from Winky. He hasn't been training or nothing. At this point in time, Winky wasn't in the greatest condition, but, hell, it's still hard to get to him. And I outboxed him in the last encounter we had. It was damn good for me. That's saying a lot."

Every belt holder in the division may shame themselves if they avoid Echols for much longer. He does not let the lack of a reasonably priced title shot get him down, though. "It's not getting me down, but it's making me get older," joked Echols. "No, I don't get down. God put me in this world for whatever reason. And if I don't succeed, then it wasn't for me to. Then, I have to go do something else." Though, he cannot be satisfied until he is able to get that one more shot and succeed. "Antwun couldn't (call it a meaningful career without a championship). I fought a lot of good fights. But I don't have nothing to go down in history with."

How he has gotten this far from the streets of Davenport is an achievement in itself. From questionable judging and refereeing, to health problems, and even to recent problems with his promoter, he has remained stubborn enough to stick in there. He is now in the best position of his career. He has not been perfect in the past, and he is not afraid to look at how much he has grown.

"Y'know, those fights I took on like two days notice--the money over there in Canada was good. I wasn't making any money here; I wasn't really getting any fights. I took them and I knew I could beat these guys. And I had the animal in me then. But, right now, it's like being professional with all of this. Being the experienced fighter, thinking in there. That's why I'm getting it now. I'm really getting it now."

 

 


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