Joliet boxer trains for middleweight title

JOLIET – A Joliet boxer who trains in the city is preparing for the biggest fight of his career.

Osumanu Adama, who trains out of the Round One Boxing gym downtown, will face world champion Gennady Golovkin, 31, in the WBA middleweight title bout on Feb. 1 in Monte Carlo.

“For us, it’s a dream fight,” Adama’s trainer, Joseph Awinongya, said.

And it’s a fight that Awinongya said many critics are not giving Adama, 33, any chance of winning. Golovkin is the No. 2-ranked middleweight in the world, according to BoxRec, while Adama is ranked 14th.

The fight with Adama was accepted by Golovkin’s promoters just to keep the champion busy until possibly more “interesting” fights later in the year, according to Boxingnews24.com.

“They’re saying (Adama) can’t last three rounds, but we’re going to give (Golovkin) a big-time surprise,” Awinongya said.

It’s a contest that Adama has been waiting for. Awinongya said Golovkin’s camp had refused Adama’s challenge four times in the past before finally agreeing to the match.

“It’s going to be a much easier fight than we thought,” Awinongya said. “... Osumanu has more boxing skills.”

But he conceded that Adama has to be sure to put up a good defense against Golovkin, who is 28-0, with 25 of those victories coming via a knockout.

“We have to be careful every second because he can hit hard,” Awinongya said.

But most importantly, Adama’s key to victory will be staying focused and not getting caught up in the hype of competing on a world stage, he said.

Adama knows exactly what’s at stake. A victory and a title belt could mean providing his family with the kind of life that he’s always wanted. He has a 12-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son who are in his native country of Ghana.

“I miss them,” Adama said. “Because of them, that’s why I’m killing myself so, so they could be happy.”

Adama came to the U.S. in 2009 to train and fight professionally and had a rough start.

“Nobody in the boxing world gave him any chance,” Awinongya said.

Adama moved to Joliet in 2010 to train with Awinongya, who’s also from Ghana, and he signed with Wasfi Tolaymat of the Chicago Fight Club. After making that move, Adama began to see more success in the ring and now has a record of 22-3 with 16 knockouts. His three losses were by decision.

In December 2010, Adama earned the vacant IBO international middleweight championship and became the first middleweight titleholder from Ghana. In March 2011, he defeated Marcus Upshaw to gain the vacant USBA middleweight crown.

Adama credits his success to Awinongya’s training.

“He changed my life,” Adama said. “He took me from nowhere. ... When I came to his gym, everything changed. He has time for your training.”

In March 2012, Adama lost by decision to middleweight champion Daniel Geale but has won two fights since then.

“I feel good about this fight (against Golovkin),” he said.

“It’s something I’ve been preparing for.”