By Phillip Corry
and agencies

Today
Ouma v Cuevas
Atlantic City, New Jersey

FORMER IBF junior middleweight champion Kassim “The Dream” Ouma must win tonight if he is to earn much more lucrative fights in the future.

Ouma has got a vote of confidence from the undefeated middleweight world champion, Bernard Hopkins, who will be ringside to watch the fight.

“Defeats make champions,” the 40-year-old said of Ouma’s shock loss.

“True champions come back, and that is what I’ve shown in my own career. That’s what a potential great fighter like Kassim needs to do. Coming back builds character and helps create a legacy.”

His new trainer Ronnie Shields is also confident.

“I called Washington (years back) for a sparring partner for Zab Judah and they brought Kassim Ouma down,” said Ronnie.

“They said he’d just come over from Africa. The first day I saw him with Judah I couldn’t believe what I saw. From that point on I believed Kassim Ouma could be champion of the world.

Ouma had not lost a fight in six years before losing his IBF crown to Russian Roman “Made in Hell” Karmazin in July.

Meanwhile, Abdu “The Cobra” Tebazalwa takes a shot at the vacant featherweight IBF continental title when he faces Peter “Sniper” Pambeni of Zimbabwe at Little Flowers on Saturday.