Behold The King! - Agbeko To Unify Titles

Joseph Agbeko - he roared and Perez cowered

After annexing the IBF bantamweight title in Washington, USA, last Saturday, Ghana's Joseph Agbeko has set his eyes on an audacious target that eluded even the great Azumah Nelson. He wants to unify the three titles in the division.

Agbeko is the only Ghanaian, after Azumah, to become a two-time world boxing champion when he scored a unanimous points victory over Colombian Yonnhy Perez at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington.

And while he savoured the joy of following the steps of his mentor, Azumah, Agbeko told the Graphic Sports on phone from Washington that his greatest ambition now was to unify the bantamweight titles.

'This is a Christmas present to all Ghanaians. I thank them all,' he said, but declared also that 'I want to unify the titles. I want to bring all the titles to Ghana at the same time,' he said.

That audacious target has become likely now after his total dominance last Saturday of the Colombian who stripped him of the same title 13 months ago, which in turn set up a thriller with Mexican idol Abner Mares some time in the first half of next year.

By the arrangements in the division which put Agbeko, Perez, Mares and Australia-based Armenian, Vic Darchinyan, in a kind of round robin, and with Agbeko and Mares triumphing on the same bill under Don King's promotions, the match-up was announced officially after Saturday's bouts.

If that bout happens, both Agbeko's IBF title and Mares's IBO and WBC Silver titles will be at stake in a three-in-one title fight.

It will be the biggest title haul on offer for any Ghanaian, and despite the flamboyance and unmatched talent of Azumah in the ring, the grit and discipline of Ike Quartey, Joshua Clottey's power, and the qualities of Alfred Kotey, Ebo Danquah, Nana Yaw Konadu or even D.K. Poison, none of those former Ghanaian world champions had such an opportunity.

'It is a tough challenge but each challenge will be tackled at a time as they come,' Agbeko said.

Indeed, Saturday's classic act produced against huge odds, including a long spell of ring inactive since losing the title on October 31, 2009, made Agbeko's story even more captivating.

But he remarked that 'I was well-conditioned for the fight and had learnt my lessons from the first fight'.

Agbeko, who improved to 28-2 with 22 knockout victories, complained of the short notice towards their first meeting in Las Vegas, also in the USA, a fight he said he took with little regard for Perez's potency.

'I trained for a long time for this fight. I was very fit for the fight, and I didn't underrate him as I did in the first fight.

'We planned three strategies for the fight because we realised he was a durable boxer, and he was tough too.

'In the first fight, I just went in to fight. This time, we decided to mix real boxing with fighting, and you saw the result,' added the Ghanaian whom Perez had described as a dirty fighter in the days leading to the bout.