Henry Akinwande

Henry Adetokunboh Akinwande (born 12 October 1965) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2008. He held the WBO heavyweight title from 1996 to 1997, as well as the Commonwealth heavyweight title in 1993, and the European heavyweight title from 1993 to 1994.

Henry Akinwande
Statistics
Real nameHenry Adetokunboh Akinwande
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height6 ft 7 in (201 cm)
Reach86 in (218 cm)
NationalityBritish
Born (1965-10-12) 12 October 1965
Dulwich, London, England
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights55
Wins50
Wins by KO30
Losses4
Draws1

Early years

Akinwande was born in London, England but went to live in his parents homeland of Nigeria as a 4-year-old and returned to England in 1986 aged 21, and he began boxing soon after.

Amateur career

As an amateur boxing out of the Lynn amateur boxing club in Camberwell, SE London, he was ABA heavyweight champion in both 1988 and 1989, beating another fellow Nigerian and future WBO heavyweight champion Herbie Hide and represented Great Britain in the heavyweight division at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.

ABA Championships record

Olympic results

1988 Olympic Games, Seoul, heavyweight:

Professional career

Akinwande made his professional debut in 1989 against Carlton Headley in London and won all of his first 18 bouts, including a second-round KO victory over former World Light Heavyweight Champion J.B. Williamson, and relatively well known fringe fighters such as Marshall Tillman, Eddie Taylor, Kimmuel Odum and John Fury.

Akinwande then challenged Axel Schulz for the vacant European heavyweight title in Berlin, Germany in 1992. The fight, scored only by the referee was adjudged to be a draw after 12 rounds. This was felt by many to be a "home town" decision, as most observers had Akinwande winning comfortably.

Following a victory over New Zealand's respectable James Thunder for the Commonwealth title in 1993, Akinwande again challenged Schulz for the vacant European belt. This time three judges were employed and Akinwande was awarded a unanimous decision after 12 rounds. He was to defend the title twice, against Biagio Chianese and Mario Scheisser. Akinwande also defeated fellow Briton and future WBO cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson, former IBF heavyweight title holder Tony Tucker, Frankie Swindell, Brian Sargent, Calvin Jones and Gerard Jones, all from the USA, during this period.

WBO heavyweight champion

In 1996 Akinwande faced American Jeremy Williams for the WBO World Heavyweight Title which had been vacated by Riddick Bowe, a fight which Akinwande was to win via a 3rd round stoppage. Akinwande went on to defend the belt twice, with victories over Russian Alexander Zolkin by TKO and a decision over fellow Briton Scott Welch, who had won the WBO Intercontinental Title with a stoppage over the 46-year-old Joe Bugner.

Akinwande vs. Lewis
Main article: Lennox Lewis vs. Henry Akinwande

The WBO belt was then vacated so that Akinwande could pursue a challenge to WBC champion Lennox Lewis in 1997. The fight took place at Caesars Tahoe in Nevada. Akinwande was strangely subdued and spent much of the fight attempting to clinch Lewis. After repeated warnings, referee Mills Lane finally ran out of patience and disqualified Akinwande for repeated holding in the 5th round.[1]

A proposed challenge to Evander Holyfield for the WBA belt in 1998 was later abandoned after Akinwande tested positive for hepatitis B. This meant a lengthy spell of recovery for Akinwande, but he was finally cleared to return to the ring in 1999.

Akinwande won his next 8 fights, his victims included top contenders Orlin Norris and Maurice Harris, as well as Peter McNeeley, Kenny Craven, Russel Chasteen, Reynaldo Minus, Chris Sirengo and Najee Shaheed.

A fight with Oliver McCall in 2001 resulted in Akinwande's second defeat. After Akinwande had outboxed McCall for most of the fight, Akinwande began to tire, and McCall caught him with a few seconds remaining in the 10th and final round. Akinwande was counted out.

Akinwande recovered from this to win his next 9 bouts, including notable victories against Timo Hoffman, Ed Mahone, Cisse Salif and Anton Nel, all for the IBF Intercontinental Title, as well as Curt Paige, Sam Ubokane, Raman Sukhaterin, Alexander Vasiliev and Tipton Walker.

In late 2006 he dropped a split decision to Oleg Platov, a bout in which Akinwande received a point deduction in 8th round for holding, and Platov received a point deduction in 9th for head butt.

After that fight he won another fight against Andriy Oleinyk in 2007 before losing to top prospect Ondřej Pála from the Czech Republic by unanimous decision on 4 July 2008, which turned out to be his last fight.

Professional boxing record
Professional record summary
55 fights 50 wins 4 losses
By knockout 30 1
By decision 18 2
By disqualification 2 1
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
55 Loss 50–4–1 Ondřej Pála UD 6 4 Jul 2008 Buyuk Anadolu Didim Resort, Ankara, Central Anatolia Region
54 Win 50–3–1 Andriy Oliynyk UD 10 30 Jun 2007 Olympic Stadium, Moscow, Central Federal District
53 Loss 49–3–1 Oleg Platov SD 12 4 Nov 2006 RWE Rhein-Ruhr Sporthalle, Mülheim, North Rhine-Westphalia Lost IBF Inter-Continental heavyweight title
52 Win 49–2–1 Cisse Salif UD 12 4 Mar 2006 Small EWE Arena, Oldenburg, Lower Saxony Retained IBF Inter-Continental heavyweight title
51 Win 48–2–1 Ed Mahone UD 12 10 Dec 2005 Arena Leipzig, Leipzig, Saxony Won vacant IBF Inter-Continental heavyweight title
50 Win 47–2–1 Tipton Walker TKO 2 (6), 2:48 24 Sep 2005 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
49 Win 46–2–1 Alexander Vasiliev UD 8 14 May 2005 Oberfrankenhalle, Bayreuth, Bavaria
48 Win 45–2–1 Anton Nel TKO 10 (12), 1:39 10 Apr 2004 U. J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, Cross River State Retained IBF Inter-Continental heavyweight title
47 Win 44–2–1 Timo Hoffmann SD 12 31 May 2003 Brandenburg-Halle, Frankfurt, Hesse Won IBF Inter-Continental heavyweight title
46 Win 43–2–1 Raman Sukhaterin UD 12 10 Dec 2002 Sala Sporturilor, Constanța, Constanța County
45 Win 42–2–1 Sam Ubokane TKO 7 (10) 29 Oct 2002 Wynberg Military Base Stadium, Cape Town Western Cape
44 Win 41–2–1 Curt Paige TKO 1 (8), 2:53 8 Mar 2002 Civic Center, Kissimmee, Florida
43 Loss 40–2–1 Oliver McCall KO 10 (10), 2:13 17 Nov 2001 Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada
42 Win 40–1–1 Maurice Harris KO 1 (10) 16 Jun 2001 Cintas Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
41 Win 39–1–1 Peter McNeeley KO 2 (12), 2:05 17 Mar 2001 The Moon, Tallahassee, Florida Won vacant WBC International heavyweight title
40 Win 38–1–1 Kenny Craven TKO 1 (12), 3:00 8 Dec 2000 The Moon, Tallahassee, Florida Won vacant WBC FECARBOX heavyweight title
39 Win 37–1–1 Russell Chasteen TKO 5 (10), 0:49 25 May 2000 Grand Casino, Tunica, Mississippi
38 Win 36–1–1 Chris Sirengo TKO 1 (10) 22 Feb 2000 Velodrome, Bellville, Western Cape
37 Win 35–1–1 Najee Shaheed TKO 9 (10), 2:21 15 May 1999 Jai-Alai Fronton, Miami, Florida
36 Win 34–1–1 Reynaldo Minus TKO 2 (10), 1:35 6 Mar 1999 UM Sports Pavilion, Minneapolis, Minnesota
35 Win 33–1–1 Orlin Norris UD 12 13 Dec 1997 Amphitheater, Pompano Beach, Florida
34 Loss 32–1–1 Lennox Lewis DQ 5 (12), 2:34 12 Jul 1997 Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada For WBC heavyweight title;
Akinwande disqualified for repeated holding
33 Win 32–0–1 Scott Welch UD 12 11 Jan 1997 Nashville Arena, Nashville, Tennessee Retained WBO heavyweight title
32 Win 31–0–1 Alexander Zolkin TKO 10 (12), 2:32 9 Nov 1996 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada Retained WBO heavyweight title
31 Win 30–0–1 Jeremy Williams KO 3 (12), 0:43 29 Jun 1996 Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California Won vacant WBO heavyweight title
30 Win 29–0–1 Gerard Jones DQ 7 (10), 2:18 23 Mar 1996 Miami Arena, Miami, Florida Jones disqualified for repeatedly hitting after the break
29 Win 28–0–1 Brian Sargent TKO 4 (10), 2:40 27 Jan 1996 Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona
28 Win 27–0–1 Tony Tucker UD 10 16 Dec 1995 CoreStates Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
27 Win 26–0–1 Stanley Wright TKO 2 (10) 22 Jul 1995 London Arena, Millwall, London
26 Win 25–0–1 Calvin Jones KO 2 (8), 1:38 8 Apr 1995 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada
25 Win 24–0–1 Mario Schiesser KO 7 (12) 23 Jul 1994 Sportforum Hohenschönhausen, Berlin, Germany Retained European heavyweight title
24 Win 23–0–1 Johnny Nelson PTS 10 5 Apr 1994 York Hall, Bethnal Green, London
23 Win 22–0–1 Biagio Chianese TKO 4 (12), 2:16 1 Dec 1993 Royal Albert Hall, Kensington and Chelsea, London Retained European heavyweight title
22 Win 21–0–1 Frankie Swindell UD 10 6 Nov 1993 Superbowl, Sun City, North West Province
21 Win 20–0–1 Axel Schulz UD 12 1 May 1993 Sporthalle Charlottenburg, Berlin, Berlin-Brandenburg Won vacant European heavyweight title
20 Win 19–0–1 Jimmy Thunder PTS 12 18 Mar 1993 Lewisham Theatre, Lewisham, London Won vacant Commonwealth heavyweight title
19 Draw 18–0–1 Axel Schulz MD 12 19 Dec 1992 Berlin, Berlin-Brandenburg For vacant European heavyweight title
18 Win 18–0 Steve Garber TKO 2 (8) 18 Jul 1992 Free Trade Hall, Manchester, Greater Manchester Garber retired with cut under right eye
17 Win 17–0 Kimmuel Odum DQ 6 (8) 5 Jun 1992 Palais des sports, Marseille
16 Win 16–0 Lumbala Tshibamba PTS 8 10 Apr 1992 Carquefou, Pays de la Loire
15 Win 15–0 Tucker Richards TKO 2 (8), 0:56 26 Mar 1992 Ice Rink, Telford, Shropshire
14 Win 14–0 Eddie Taylor TKO 3 (8) 28 Feb 1992 Issy-les-Moulineaux, Paris
13 Win 13–0 Tim Bullock TKO 3 (8) 6 Dec 1991 Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen
12 Win 12–0 John Fury KO 3 (8) 9 Oct 1991 G-Mex Centre, Manchester, Greater Manchester
11 Win 11–0 Marshall Tillman PTS 8 28 Jun 1991 Salle Leyrit, Nice, Alpes-Maritimes
10 Win 10–0 Ramon Voorn PTS 8 6 Jun 1991 The Broadway Theatre, Barking, London
9 Win 9–0 J. B. Williamson TKO 2 (8), 0:19 6 Mar 1991 Wembley Arena, Brent, London
8 Win 8–0 François Yrius TKO 1 (6), 1:02 12 Dec 1990 Royal Albert Hall, Kensington and Chelsea, London
7 Win 7–0 Tracy Thomas PTS 6 10 Oct 1990 Royal Albert Hall, Kensington and Chelsea, London
6 Win 6–0 Mike Robinson KO 1 (6) 9 May 1990 Wembley Conference Centre, Brent, London
5 Win 5–0 Warren Thompson PTS 6 14 Mar 1990 Royal Albert Hall, Kensington and Chelsea, London
4 Win 4–0 John Fairbairn TKO 1 (6) 10 Jan 1990 Royal Albert Hall, Kensington and Chelsea, London
3 Win 3–0 Paul Neilson TKO 1 (6), 1:28 6 Dec 1989 Wembley Arena, Brent, London
2 Win 2–0 Dennis Bailey TKO 2 (6), 2:15 8 Nov 1989 Wembley Conference Centre, Brent, London
1 Win 1–0 Carlton Headley KO 1 (6), 1:10 4 Oct 1989 Royal Albert Hall, Kensington and Chelsea, London Professional debut

References
  1. Leach, Glyn (13 July 1997). "Boxing: Lewis wins another fight that wasn't". The Independent. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
Sporting positions
Amateur boxing titles
Previous:
James Moran		 ABA heavyweight champion
1988, 1989		 Next:
Keith Inglis
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Lennox Lewis		 Commonwealth heavyweight champion
18 March 1993 – October 1993
Vacated		 Vacant
Title next held by
Scott Welch
European heavyweight champion
1 May 1993 – April 1995
Vacated		 Vacant
Title next held by
Željko Mavrović
Vacant
Title last held by
Crawford Grimsley		 WBC FECARBOX heavyweight champion
8 December 2000 – 17 March 2001
Won International title		 Vacant
Title next held by
Timur Ibragimov
Vacant
Title last held by
Wladimir Klitschko		 WBC International heavyweight champion
17 March 2001 – April 2001
Vacated		 Vacant
Title next held by
Denis Bakhtov
Preceded by
Timo Hoffmann		 IBF Inter-Continental heavyweight champion
31 May 2003 – June 2004
Vacated		 Vacant
Title next held by
Volodymyr Virchis
Vacant
Title last held by
Alexander Dimitrenko		 IBF Inter-Continental heavyweight champion
10 December 2005 – 4 November 2006		 Succeeded by
Oleg Platov
World boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Riddick Bowe		 WBO heavyweight champion
29 June 1996 – June 1997
Vacated		 Vacant
Title next held by
Herbie Hide
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