Boxer Joseph Kwadjo set the record straight with a technical knock-out of Robin Hazelman to win the cruiserweight contest of the Bluewater Boxing Promotions event at the Vodafone Arena in Suva last Saturday.
Hazelman hit the canvas in the second round after Kwadjo delivered resounding hits that disarmed him from responding further.
Prior to the bout, both boxers told this newspaper how they perceived the other, stating they were prepared to step into the ring.
Kwadjo echoed boxing great Mike Tyson’s sentiments about sticking to a plan.
An elated and grateful Kwadjo shared his sentiments after the bout, surrounded by his training team and close supporters.
“I’m just feeling good because we’ve been training, my team and I for almost 10 weeks. We’ve been working, practicing how we’re going to break this guy (Hazelman) down,” Kwadjo expressed.
In an interview with The Fiji Times a day prior to their bout, Hazelman expressed his confidence in facing Kwadjo in the ring, saying his preparations for the clash were going according to plan.
“It’s nothing new for me in boxing. Everything has gone according to plan. I’m really looking forward to facing Joseph Kwadjo,” Hazelman said prior to the weigh-in event at the Terry Walk that day.
Kwadjo’s sentiments after their bout echoed his opponent’s, however the victory was now his.
“Like what Mike Tyson said, everybody has a game plan and unless you jump in the ring, then you know,” Kwadjo said.
For this fight the boxer sought the help and guidance of trainers Sebastian Singh and Dustyn Foster, who he credited as key forces behind the win.
“I would say when we train, these two (Singh and Foster) would push me. Sometimes when I see them in the gym, I get pissed off but I keep it quiet,” he recalled.
“We train for ten rounds, we don’t train for a knockout but if it happens, it happens.”
