Agbeko And Tackie Face Tough Opponents

The eyes of the boxing world will be sharply focused on Ghana when the Accra born Joshua Clottey takes on Manny �Pacman� Pacquiao of the Philippines on 13th March 2010 at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the WBO Welterweight title. Daily Guide Sports looks at two other Accra born fighters with crucial upcoming fights; Benjamin �Wonder� Tackie and Joseph �King Kong� Agbeko. On the eve of the Clottey-Pacman fight, Ben Tackie takes on Pacman�s Filipino colleague, Dennis Laurente, in an 8 Round, Welterweight bout at Grapevine, Texas. Endowed with a famously solid chin and well known for his ability to throw a high volume of punches, �Wonder� has a record of 29�11�1 with 17 knockouts. All of his losses have come via decisions. He has been knocked down only once in his 41 professional fights to date. Notably, his 10th round knockout of Roberto Garcia was named Ring Magazine Knockout of the Year in 2000. However, Tackie, now living in the Bronx in New York, lost his most recent bout to Matthew Hatton in September 2008 on the undercard to Ricky Hatton�s Light Welterweight title defence in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and at 36 years of age, he will be up against a hungry opponent 4 years his junior in Laurente. The Filipino, an underrated southpaw, has a record of 33�3�5, (17 knockouts). Laurente is a disciplined and tenacious fighter, ranked No. 29 in the world by the Official Boxing Records (BoxReg) and No. 2 in the Philippines' domestic ranking at the Light Welterweight division, next to the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Pacquiao. Tackie will have to find a way to deal with Laurente�s devastating and explosive combinations as well as the Filipino�s fierce fighting spirit if he is to win the bout. Equally as difficult a proposition for Ghanaian boxing is the 12-round IBF Bantamweight eliminator between Joseph Agbeko and Vusi �Marvelous� Malinga in South Africa on 16th April 2010. The bout takes place in Malinga�s home town of Johannesburg, a major advantage for the southpaw South African whose record stands at 19�3�1 (12 knockouts). Agbeko, who goes by the moniker �King Kong�, will be attempting to put behind him the nightmare 12-round unanimous decision defeat on Halloween night of last year to the Columbian, Yonnhy P�rez (20�0) to whom he lost the IBF Bantamweight title which he had held since dethroning Luis Alberto Perez in September 2007. Agbeko himself has a record of 27�2 (22 knockouts) and will be highly motivated to come through this eliminator.Each of Tackie, Agbeko and Clottey have a tough assignment ahead, but as the Black Stars showed in the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola earlier this year, you write-off Ghana at your peril. Scheduled fights with Ghanaian interest: 12 March 2010 at Grapevine, Texas: Benjamin �Wonder� Tackie (Ghana) v Dennis Laurente (Philippines) 8 Rounds, Welterweight. 13th March 2010 at Arlington, Texas: Manny Pacquiao (Philippines) vs. Joshua Clottey (Ghana) 12 Rounds, for Pacquiao's WBO Welterweight title. 16 April 2010 at Johannesburg, South Africa: Joseph Agbeko (Ghana) vs. Vusi Malinga (South Africa) 12 Rounds, IBF Bantamweight Eliminator