Boxing
Olaniyan ready to tear through Atang and Moses in resurgent heavyweight division
O'Leary vs. Chamberlain live on DAZN - TOMORROW
The heavyweight division is an exciting place to be right now, especially for 20-year-old Irish prospect Adam Olaniyan.
He may have only turned professional in March, but already Olaniyan has two wins, and two knockouts under his belt.
Olaniyan returns to action on Saturday night, live on DAZN, on the undercard of Pierce O’Leary vs. Mark Chamberlain to kick off a big two months, fighting first at Dublin’s 3Arena before heading to Croke Park for Katie Taylor’s farewell.
For Olaniyan, he is already living the dream and could not ask for a better start to his time in the professional ranks.
“It’s probably the dream start to a professional career,” Olaniyan told DAZN News in an exclusive interview.
“Normally when people turn pro, they do tours around the UK, fighting on undercards in London and stuff like that, but I’m fighting regularly in Ireland on big shows and stadiums.
“It’s a dream and I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
‘The heavyweight division right now is booming’
What makes the future so exciting for Olaniyan is the rude health of the heavyweight division.
It was not so long ago that it had gone stale with only a few top fighters whilst the others were a clear level below.
However, it has once again become the must-watch weight class with the likes of Daniel Dubois, Moses Itauma, Fabio Wardley and Agit Kabayel all vying to become the top dog.
Olaniyan scores second round knockout on stadium undercard
Watch highlights below
But it’s not just at the top which gets Olaniyan excited about what the future holds, it’s also the talented prospects who will soon be looking to make their own impression.
“It’s as if there has been a resurgence, a rebirth, a reincarnation of the 1990s heavyweight division because there are so many prospects coming up, people on the cusp of world titles are superb.
“The heavyweight division right now is booming, and I don’t think it’s been this stacked with so many good fighters, and if we have, we haven’t seen it for a long time.”
While it is all well and good to look at the division as a whole, boxing is a selfish sport where a fighter’s focus is purely on themselves and Olaniyan is targeting one particular British foe in the immediate future before one of boxing’s most exciting talents.
Olaniyan sets immediate sights on Atang before eventual meeting with Moses
Undefeated British heavyweight Leo Atang and Olaniyan’s professional careers are running in parallel with each other.
Atang has featured in eight professional bouts compared to his Irish counterpart’s two, but it feels like the pair are on a collision course.
When the timing is right, it will be some matchup between two heavyweights who are making a name for themselves with thumping knockouts.
Olaniyan refused to get drawn into going full steam ahead when discussing the prospect of a meeting with Atang, but when the opportunity presents itself, it is one which he will not shy away from.
“We are the embryonic starts of our professional journeys,” Olaniyan continued.
“We both have said it’s a fight we’re interested in, and we need to build the fight at this stage.
“But at the same time, we can’t get carried away with it. We have jobs to do.
“It’s most definitely going to happen down the line, I don’t know when, but it will happen.”
Then Moses' name got mentioned.
Despite not having a world title around his waist, being 21 years old and 14 fights into his professional career, the knockout artist already has a target on his back.
He is on a different trajectory compared to the other heavyweights rising through the ranks and faces Olympic gold medallist Filip Hrgovic at the end of August in a fight which could end up being for a vacant world title.
While Olaniyan is just one year younger than Moses, he knows there is a long road ahead before the possibility of facing Moses comes into view.
However, unlike some of his fellow prospects, Moses is someone Olaniyan does not look up to, and instead is ready to face one of boxing’s hottest talents when the time comes.
“Moses is good, I’m not going to disrespect him, I’m not going to discredit him, he’s a phenomenal talent.
“But he’s in my weight division, I’m not going to look up to somebody who is two years older than me and in my weight division.
“He’s very good, very talented, seems strong. I look forward to that fight one day; he’s a great talent and is very good at what he does, but so am I.”
Moses Itauma vs. Hrgovic - exclusively on DAZN PPV
Watch Moses Itauma take the next step in his so far unstoppable career against Filip Hrgovic on Saturday, August 29, only on DAZN.
Buy as a one-off PPV or included along with Romero vs. Lopez (Aug 22) and Canelo vs. Mbilli (Oct 31) PPVs with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
