Egbunine wants Laila Ali!

Interview with Ijeoma “The Praise” Egbunine (17-2-0 w/10Kos) and her trainer Reverend Henry Okafor by Pattee Mak

PATTEE: How did you get into boxing the first time?

EGBUNINE: I got into boxing by my pastor’s prophecy. I walked into the church, he pointed at me that the Lord said that I will be a world champion in boxing. Since then I have not been disobedient to the heavenly vision.

PATTEE: What do you remember about your first professional fight against Janaya Davis?

EGBUNINE: That fight was very challenging for me. When I beat somebody 4-0 and I was 0-0, I knew I was on a better path.

PATTEE: What are some of the titles you held?

EGBUNINE: I won the light heavyweight WIBF, WBE super middleweight and light heavyweight, UBC light heavyweight. I’m ready to win the 5^th, 6^th and 7^th and more.

PATTEE: Rev. Henry Okafor is your trainer. How long have you been training with him?

EGBUNINE: I’ve been with him since the beginning. He is my trainer as well as my manager.

PATTEE: What are your thoughts about women finally getting into the 2012 Olympic games?

EGBUNINE: I was so glad and very happy for women to finally be in the 2012 Olympics. I would be happier if they can allow female professional boxers to get a taste of the Olympics like myself.

PATTEE: How does your family feel about you boxing?

EGBUNINE: From my culture they aren’t happy with me boxing, especially my mother. They don’t want me to box. They want me to have kids. So I’m gonna prove my mother wrong. They want me to get married. My mother doesn’t want me to get hurt. Other siblings don’t like it but they like the money. However, they want me now to come to Nigeria and fight.

PATTEE: How are you getting everybody involved in the Nigerian Show?

REV. HENRY: WBC AND WIBA has already called me for a super fight between Ijeoma and O’Niel or any other potential opponent out there. We are involving the Nigerian people and every agency to come forward in the sponsorship of this show in Nigeria.

We are going to contact the president of Nigeria through the women empowerment group in Nigeria for this show to be a success. Ijeoma wants all African people to know that women can box and box well.

Anybody with any information please come forward and help us put this show together.

PATTEE: Your last fight was in May 2011, how would you describe that fight?

EGBUNINE: I wasn’t in all that much good shape. I was a little bit below average. That fight was like a comeback fight for me. I just had my baby and I barely trained for it. The danger was that I chose the number one fighter in the division with two world titles.

PATTEE: Rev Henry how would you rate her last fight?

REV. HENRY: 50%. I recognize she wasn’t all that in shape. She did not train like she used to. She signed the contract 3 weeks before the fight. But in the rematch, if you are coming to see her fight you will be amazed at her punching power and speed.

PATTEE: What is next for you?

EGBUNINE: Well I’m look out to my manager and my promoter. They are trying to line up something. So I’m waiting to fight. But I really want to fight in my country Nigeria. I look forward to empowering women that they can get involved in combat sports. I look up to God to give us favor before the President of Nigeria to sponsor this show in Nigeria.

PATTEE: You were supposed to fight Laila Ali a few years ago at Madison Square Garden but it never happened. How come it never happened?

EGBUNINE: It is because she is a coward. Laila ran out of opponent so she decided to retire or she is retired somewhere.

She always claim that she is the best even some media just become her puppet. How can you be the best when you have not fought the best in the division and they still call her the best? Everybody is telling MAYWEATHER TO FIGHT MANNY why can’t they tell Laila to me, or Latitia Robinson, Natasha in Germany, Ann Wolfe and many others.

She retired because no more 147 or 154 pounders. She will pay a lot of money to bump them up in weight to fight her, so she ran out of opponent. Everybody Laila fought they paid them so much money but when it was time for Ijeoma to fight her they decided to pay her a peanut why such humiliation. All they were trying to do was to discourage me from fighting Laila Ali.

PATTEE: Would you still want to fight Laila Ali and why?

EGBUNINE: I want to fight her not just because she is popular but I want to fight her to prove a point that she can be beaten and that she isn’t the best. And she talks too much and I want to fight her real bad. I want to give her her first loss.

PATTEE: How would you compare female boxing with male boxing?

EGBUNINE: Female boxing the pay isn’t really good and so that isn’t encouraging to us female boxers. It isn’t comparable to what males receive. Female boxing is very competitive. They come to fight not to hug like some male fighters do. You hardly see a boring female fight.

PATTEE: Do you find that you intimidate men once they realize you are a professional boxer?

EGBUNINE: I don’t really pay attention to it.

PATTEE: What do you think about Egbunine:

REV. HENRY: I believe she is the best fighter in the world. Whatever Mayweather, Klitschkos, Winky and Manny are to male boxing that’s what she is to female boxing. She is the most feared female fighter in the world.

PATTEE: How many days a week do you train together?

REV. HENRY: 6 days a week.

You can follow EGBUNINE on facebook under Ijeoma Egbunine and under Golden Girl Boxing Promotions and on myspace at ijeomathepraise.

I wanted to say thank you to the two of you for taking the time to speak with me. I also wanted to say a special thanks to Ike Enwereuzor aka Jacboxer for making this possible.



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