17.09.05 – By Scoop Malinowski: Status: Heavyweight contender takes on Wladimir Klitschko in an important WBO/IBF Eliminator on September 24th in Atlantic City.
Ht: 6-0 1/2 Wt: 245, DOB: September 6, 1980 in: Akwaibom, Nigeria
Childhood Heroes: “In boxing? Oh, the great guys, because I watched Jack Johnson, I watched Joe Louis, I watched Mike Tyson, I watch Evander Holyfield, I watched Muhammad Ali, all those guys are great guys. To be frank, I loved Buster Douglas [laughs]. I love James ‘Buster’ Douglas. He’s a guy who achieved.”
Hobbies/Interests: “What do I like to do? I’m an engineer. But as far as other sports, what do I do? I don’t even know [laughs]. Just boxing right now.”
Nickname: The Nigerian Nightmare.
Favorite Movies: “Troy [laughs]. I like the actors.”
Favorite TV Shows: “I don’t really watch much TV, I watch movies.”
Musical Tastes: “I like reggae.”
Early Boxing Memory: “Yeah, I remember when I first started boxing, when I knocked somebody out. I don’t remember what punch did it. I saw somebody on the ground [laughs].”
First Job: “Oh, I worked as a police officer in Nigeria. I was a spy for Nigerian Police (age 16).”
First Car: “Isuzu Axiom. (Color?) champagne. But now I got a Hummer and Mercedes Benz.”
Pre-Fight Feeling: “No, I don’t think about anything. Don’t think about any fight. I just go there to do what I supposed to do.”
Favorite Meal: “Oh, Fufu.”
Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Fufu [laughs].”
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “No, I don’t eat ice cream.”
Greatest Sports Moment: “When I won – when I qualified for the Olympics (2000).”
Most Painful Moment: “In boxing…painful…when I lost in the All-African Games. They robbed the fight. I win the fight. And they declare me the winner. And I step out from the ring. They called me back and they changed the decision. So that was bad [laughs].”
Worst Injury: “None.”
Funny Boxing Memory: “No, this is a tough sport. You can’t laugh in this one [laughs].”
Favorite Boxers To Watch: “Today…I think Floyd Mayweather. (Anyone else?) Myself [smiles].”
Favorite Fight(s): “I think the guys – what’s his name, in the last fight in Las Vegas? (Corrales?) Yes, Corrales and Castillo.”
Favorite Vacation Spot: “I like to go to Jerusalem.”
Childhood Dream: “When I was a little kid, a doctor or an engineer. So, a boxer? No [laughs].”
People Qualities Most Admired: “I want to see people doing good for God. Without him we can not do anything. So I love seeing people doing something for God.”
Scoop Malinowski, www.thebiofile.com