Umohette marks 20th win, praises Anthony Joshua and Itauma

Enobong “The Nigerian Gentleman” Umohette from Akwa Ibom has reached the 20th win in his boxing career. He beat former WBL heavyweight champion Fidel “Infierno” Munoz by unanimous decision.

Umohette defended his UBC South American regional title in an eight-round match at the Santa Marta Sports Complex in Colombia last weekend.

A report from Santa Marta Heraldo noted that Munoz was not just a local favorite but also a skilled fighter with over 80 professional bouts, including 35 wins by knockout.

The fight was tactical. Munoz tried to use his speed and movement to get around Umohette. But Umohette kept control of the ring, applying pressure and cutting off Munoz’s escape routes while landing clean punches.

All three judges gave the fight to Umohette, marking a unanimous decision win. This victory brings Umohette's winning streak to 11 in a row.

Umohette expressed gratitude to God, his family, promoter Erik Fleming, co-promoter Monte Ekott, and his supporters in Nigeria and the United States for helping him on his comeback journey.

He also congratulated fellow Nigerian heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua for his recent second-round knockout win over Albanian fighter Kristen Prenga. Umohette noted that Joshua faced tough challenges in that fight, getting up from two knockdowns before stopping Prenga.

Umohette praised Joshua for his strength in coming back to boxing after losing close friends in a car crash last year. That crash almost took Joshua's life and left him dealing with serious physical and emotional pain.

Umohette also congratulated Moses Itauma, a 21-year-old boxer from Europe and fellow Akwa Ibom native, for his IBF world title fight against Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgovic. He said Itauma showed the qualities that have pushed him toward world-title contention at such a young age.

According to Umohette, Itauma was close to achieving something not seen since Mike Tyson did it 40 years ago. He praised Itauma for reaching such heights early in his career.

Umohette called Itauma the future of heavyweight boxing. He believes that the young fighter will bounce back from this defeat and eventually win a world heavyweight title.

Fleming, Umohette’s promoter, commented on Umohette’s victory. He said the fight was a good test of Umohette’s toughness at a championship level.

Speaking from California, Fleming said it was important to see if Umohette could compete in longer fights without rushing for a knockout. Umohette last fought an eight-round match in Mexico in 2023 and won seven straight fights by knockout afterward.

Fleming also acknowledged the professionalism of the Santa Marta boxing commission. He noted that Umohette won against a home fighter in front of his crowd.

He mentioned that talks would begin soon for a possible match between Umohette and Labinot Xhoxhaj, the current European heavyweight champion. Umohette's record now stands at 20 wins and three losses.