Kassim Ouma will have the first chance to meet Roman Karzamin when they address a joint press conference today.
Both fighters will be desperate to attract more attention to their fight which has been overshadowed here by Saturday’s fight between undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor.
In downtown Las Vegas, amid the glowing neon lights inviting people to dispose of their morals, cash and inhibitions, it is hard to find a poster or billboard advertising Ouma’s Thursday fight.
Ouma respects Hopkins: “I am the best in my weight but I think Hopkins is the best in the entire division,” he says. Now he is desperate to earn some respect as well as match his ability to take down opponents in the ring with that of attracting viewers.
It is only by doing so that Ouma will be able to move to a big-money clash against another world champion such as Winky Wright, who has said publicly before that he will not fight Ouma until he has made enough money by fighting more recognisable boxers, even those with less skill and ability than the Ugandan.
To get people interested in him and his career, the Ugandan champion has thrown all his pride to the wind. During a rush-hour traffic jam in Florida last week, Ouma rolled down the window of his car and spoke, in halting Spanish, to the woman driving the car in the next lane. “Hi, my name is Kassim Ouma and I am fighting this week on Thursday; make sure you watch me on HBO Latino, please.”
The woman smiled politely, nodded her head and drove off.
Ouma says that coming from Uganda — “a country many people have not even heard of” — has its draw backs, but he is determined to carry the burden with pride.
He spent hours on the phone inviting Ugandans living here to come down to Las Vegas and support him. He also bought Ugandan musician Mariam Ndagire a ticket from New York, where she was visiting, to Las Vegas, to sing the national anthem on Thursday, should the opportunity arise.
Ouma has so far kept a low profile as he prepares mentally for the fight. Today’s press conference could provide the first spark.
