Afolabi: Huck will need a gun to beat me

(Picture credit: Public Address) By Jim Dower: Ola Afolabi (19-2-3, 9 KO’s) will be getting another shot against WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck (34-2, 25 KO’s) when he faces him next month on May 5th at the Messehalle in Erfurt, Germany.

Afolabi said “I am physically and mentally ready for Huck. He needs a gun to beat me.

Afolabi, 32, feels a lot better about his chances this time around after losing a close 12 round decision to Huck in December 2009. Afolabi has improved a lot since then and has really grown as a fighter since teaming up with K2 and the Klitschko brothers.

Afolobi has first rate sparring now and he’s much more of a complete fighter than he was back in 2009 when he got caught in a slugging war against Huck. Afolabi is using his jab more than he ever did in the past and he’s very hard to beat now because he has so many ways to beat an opponent.

In the past, Afolabi would clown around, rest on the ropes and come alive during specific points in his fights. However, now he’s using his jab, staying off the ropes and fighting in a much more consistent manner and it’s really shown in his five victories since the Huck fight. In his last bout, Afolabi defeated Very Brudov by a 5th round stoppage to capture the interim WBO cruiserweight title.

Huck lost his last fight to WBA World heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin last February. Huck fought well enough to get the win, but the judges ruled against him because he wasn’t as busy as Povetkin. That’s been a problem for Huck since he turned pro. He doesn’t punch enough and needs way too rest breaks for him to load up for his furious charges. His power is so good that he’s often able to score knockouts after his rest breaks, but against Povetkin, Huck wasn’t able to hurt him and found himself getting out-worked.

Afolabi has the skills and the power to do exactly what Povetkin did against Huck. He’s not going to be bothered by Huck’s occasional wild charges, so it’s going to come down to whether the judges reward Afolabi for his consistent work or for Huck’s fewer shots.