Nigerian boxer, Bamidele Lasisi, is set for a tough test against knockout specialist, Luqmaan Patel, at the Accra Sports stadium in Ghana on Tuesday (today), PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
33-year-old Lasisi who is unbeaten in his 8-year career with a record of 17 victories and one draws with eight knockouts will be battling for the vacant International Boxing Organisation world bantamweight title.
His opponent Patel, 30, is a British citizen of Indian descent and a heavy favourite for the clash as he holds a record of 28 wins and 23 knockouts, with only one loss and two draws.
As an amateur, in March 2021, by beating Tanzania’s Thomas Kisaware in Ghana, Patel won a Commonwealth championship making him the first Indian to do so.
Ahead of the bout, Lasisi took to social media to share updates of the fight on his Instagram page and revealed that the IBO title is a dream for him.
“Hello fight fans, I am going to fight for the IBO world title belt on Tuesday. This is part of my dream and I am ready for this title,” he wrote.
Lasisi’s last knockout win came when he won the WBC International super-flyweight title in 2019 when he defeated Nicaraguan Ricardo Blandon in Dubai.
The Dubai resident who trains at the Round 10 Boxing Club had turned pro in 2015 and the belt was the culmination of a journey which began with his victory on pro debut over Thailand’s Teepakorn Kongyoui at the World Trade Centre in Dubai.
Speaking to our correspondent ahead of the crucial title fight, he assured his fans and well-wishers of coming out victorious stating that he aims to knockout Patel even though he is the underdog in the matchup.
“I know that it won’t be an easy fight but I am going to knock him (Patel) out and win the IBO world title and will dedicate the victory to my fans and supporters,” he stated.
