Rivalries have always been around in boxing. Manny Pacquiao had Juan Manuel Marquez and Carl Froch had George Groves – to name but a few – and Marco Huck still has Ola Afolabi. If you’re not a diehard boxing fan, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of this rivalry, and to be fair, it’s one of the quietest of them all. Maybe because, I don’t know…the Cruiserweights are underappreciated in this era (or something like that).
Anyway, these two will be doing the brutal ballet once again this weekend, and I’ve absolutely no idea who’s going to win. Mainly because these two know each others’ styles too damn well by now and have always been neck-and-neck on the cards. The score is 2-0-1 to Huck going in, but those numbers don’t reflect just how evenly matched these fighters really are.
Huck won the first fight via Unanimous Decision (113-115 twice, 112-116) in 2009, settled for a Majority Draw (114-114 twice, 113-115) in 2012, and turned in a Majority Decision (111-117, 113-115, 114-114) in 2013. So yeah, not a great deal separating them.
As I’ve said, I really have no idea what’s going to happen in this one, so to try and answer in some desperately objective form, I’m going with Afolabi. Why? Purely because, despite being four years older than Huck, he bounced back with a ferocious knockout of Rakhim Chakhkiev last November, which impressed a lot of people. I was one of them.
Afolabi is riding on a hell of a performance and plenty of optimism right now, which is something that can’t be said for Huck after being stopped by Krzysztof Glowacki last August. Don’t get me wrong, Huck fought a furious and competitive fight, but it was a heavy defeat for the former champ after eleven warring rounds.
If Huck vs Afolabi IV goes the distance again, then the fact it’s being held in Germany for the fourth time ‘could’ be an advantage for German-resident Huck. Afolabi, who hails from Britain, has always fought and lost in Huck’s adopted backyard, so you know, it’s something to consider. And maybe even more so after seeing Chudinov vs Sturm last weekend?
Boxing Base Prediction: Afolabi via Unanimous Decision
Huck vs Afolabi IV: Tale of the Tape
Note: Advantageous stats are indicated in red (some may be subjective), and championship stats refer to ‘fully fledged world titles’ only.
(Marco Huck vs Ola Afolabi)
Physical/Vital
Birthplace
Ugao, Serbia … London, UK
Age
31 … 35
Height
6′ 2″ … 6′ 3″
Reach
77″ … 75″
Stance
Orthodox … Orthodox
Record (Pro)
Debut
2004 … 2002
Bouts
42 … 30
Wins
38 … 22
Defeats
3 … 4
Draws
1 … 4
No Contests
0 … 0
Knockout Ratio
62% (26) … 37% (11)
1st Round Knockouts
4 … 1
2nd Round Knockouts
4 … 2
3rd Round Knockouts
3 … 3
4th – 6th Round Knockouts
9 … 4
Defeats by Knockout
2 … 0
Knockdowns Suffered
2 … 0
Rounds Boxed
304 … 190
12-Rounders Completed
11 … 5
Current Winning Streak
0 … 1
Undefeated Fighters Defeated
6 … 5
Latest Win
Mirko Larghetti (UD 12) … Rakhim Chakhkiev (KO 5)
World Title Bout Experience
Wins
13 … 0
Defeats
3 … 2
Draws
1 … 1
No Contests
0 … 0
Successful Defenses
11 … NA
Longest Championship Reign
08/2009 – 10/2011 … NA
Major Titles Won
WBO (200 lbs) … 0
Major Titles Currently Held
0 … 0
Boxing Base World Ranking
No.4 … No.10
Notable Performances
HUCK: Krzysztof Glowacki (LOSS: TKO 11), Mirko Larghetti (UD 12), Firat Arslan (TKO 6, UD 12), Ola Afolabi (UD 12, Draw 12, MD 12), Alexander Povetkin (LOSS: MD 12), Rogelio Omar Rossi (KO 6), Hugo Hernan Garay (KO 10),
Ran Nakash (UD 12), Denis Lededev (SD 12), Matt Godfrey (TKO 5), Brian Minto (RTD 9), Adam Richards (KO 3), Victor Emilio Ramirez (UD 12), Vitaliy Rusal (TKO 5), Geoffrey Battelo (TKO 3)
AFOLABI: Rakhim Chakhkiev (KO 5), Victor Emilio Ramirez (LOSS: UD 12), Lukasz Janik (MD 12), Marco Huck (LOSS: UD 12, Draw 12, MD 12), Valery Brudov (RTD 5), Terry Dunstan (KO 1), Lubos Suda (TKO 5), Enzo Maccarinelli (KO 9)
Common Opponents
(UD 12) … Victor Emilio Ramirez … (LOSS: UD 12)
How do you see Huck vs Afolabi IV panning out, fight fans? Repeat or revenge?
