De La Hoya says Ouma’s world’s best
Jul 14, 2005
AHEAD of his title defence last night, Uganda’s Kassim Ouma received the biggest endorsement from one of the best fighters in the middleweight division.<br>
By Daniel K. Kalinaki
In Las Vegas
AHEAD of his title defence last night, Uganda’s Kassim Ouma received the biggest endorsement from one of the best fighters in the middleweight division.
In an interview with The New Vision, Oscar De La Hoya, a former undisputed world middleweight boxing champion, spoke of his great admiration for the Ugandan — and his reluctance to get into the ring with him.
“I don’t want to fight Ouma,†said De La Hoya. “I would have loved to but he’s too good for me - he’s simply too tough for me.â€
Rather than fight Ouma, De La Hoya says he wants to turn the Ugandan, who he signed to his new promotion outfit, Golden Boy, into a “superstar.â€
“Kassim Ouma is the most exciting, talented, charismatic fighter next to Bernard Hopkins and Marco Antonio Barrera in our stable,†said De La Hoya. “He is capable of becoming the next world superstar.â€
“Tell the people in Uganda that we are going to make Kassim a champion and a superstar,†added De La Hoya, who, at 32, is still an active boxer.
In order to become a superstar, Ouma was supposed to play his part in the ring last night against the top-ranked contender for his IBF junior middleweight title, Russia’s Roman Karmazin.
With a television crew following Ouma around to shoot a documentary about his dramatic life as a child soldier-turned-world champion, victory would be the first scene in this modern day tale of ‘Coming to America,’ —with the star a boxer, rather than a prince.
Defeat would, by all indications, only be a temporary set back for Ouma, according to his manager, Tom Moran.
“Either way, Ouma is the best boxer in his division; it is only a matter of time before he cements his position,†he said.
At 26, Ouma has at least another five years of top-level boxing ahead of him and, according to De La Hoya, big dreams for his future. “They call him the Dream because he has big dreams of becoming a world champion,†said De La Hoya, “and he has the ability to achieve that.â€
On Wednesday, after the weigh-in, in which Ouma registered 154 pounds to Karmazin’s 153, the Ugandan took his entourage and supporters to a private home where he cooked for them.
In Las Vegas
AHEAD of his title defence last night, Uganda’s Kassim Ouma received the biggest endorsement from one of the best fighters in the middleweight division.
In an interview with The New Vision, Oscar De La Hoya, a former undisputed world middleweight boxing champion, spoke of his great admiration for the Ugandan — and his reluctance to get into the ring with him.
“I don’t want to fight Ouma,†said De La Hoya. “I would have loved to but he’s too good for me - he’s simply too tough for me.â€
Rather than fight Ouma, De La Hoya says he wants to turn the Ugandan, who he signed to his new promotion outfit, Golden Boy, into a “superstar.â€
“Kassim Ouma is the most exciting, talented, charismatic fighter next to Bernard Hopkins and Marco Antonio Barrera in our stable,†said De La Hoya. “He is capable of becoming the next world superstar.â€
“Tell the people in Uganda that we are going to make Kassim a champion and a superstar,†added De La Hoya, who, at 32, is still an active boxer.
In order to become a superstar, Ouma was supposed to play his part in the ring last night against the top-ranked contender for his IBF junior middleweight title, Russia’s Roman Karmazin.
With a television crew following Ouma around to shoot a documentary about his dramatic life as a child soldier-turned-world champion, victory would be the first scene in this modern day tale of ‘Coming to America,’ —with the star a boxer, rather than a prince.
Defeat would, by all indications, only be a temporary set back for Ouma, according to his manager, Tom Moran.
“Either way, Ouma is the best boxer in his division; it is only a matter of time before he cements his position,†he said.
At 26, Ouma has at least another five years of top-level boxing ahead of him and, according to De La Hoya, big dreams for his future. “They call him the Dream because he has big dreams of becoming a world champion,†said De La Hoya, “and he has the ability to achieve that.â€
On Wednesday, after the weigh-in, in which Ouma registered 154 pounds to Karmazin’s 153, the Ugandan took his entourage and supporters to a private home where he cooked for them.