Izu Ugonoh: Poland's Last Heavyweight Hope

The name's Ugonoh, and he's out to become the first Polish heavyweight champion in boxing history. The only thing that is indisputable about Izu Ugonoh is that he has the best chance among Polish heavyweights to win a world title. A 6-foot-3, 230-pound black son of Nigerian immigrants, Ugonoh does not fit the stereotype of just another hopeless Polish contender vying to emerge victorious from a heavyweight world title fight. Izu has a key ingredient that was always missing from every prior Polish heavyweight contender's attributes – a great torso and one-punch knockout power à la hammer fist. The latter is exactly the very asset which separates Izu from his countrymen, the ones who came before him (Golota, ahmmm...) and likely the ones who will follow. That power may prove pivotal as Ugonoh's right hook could knock down a rhinoceros and we all know that in the glory division, one punch can change everything. His knockout of Will Quarrie from 2015 circulated around boxing sites around the world. Despite his Nigerian ancestry, Ugonoh emphasizes in interviews that he is 100% Polish and is proud of his upbringing. He combines his two heritages together by often entering the ring in white and red trunks (Poland's national colors) trimmed with shredded material reminiscent of Nigerian dress culture.

Yes, there have already been some significant Polish heavyweight contenders through the years. But historically – if you do not possess the type of one-punch KO power as a heavyweight that can turn the lights out on your opponent – then success is not a guarantee. This is exactly what all of the contenders from Poland were met with: a lack of success. I know many regard Golota to have had mental problems, but when you analyze it, he may have been missing something more important for a heavyweight, perhaps. And this was: one-punch KO power.

Yes, Izu lost to the plodding Dominic Breazeale earlier this year and yes, he needs to heavily change the way he fights, but hopefully he is able to learn from the loss and come back stronger. The former kickboxing world champion has the example of Vitali Klitschko on his side as the elder Klitschko also competed as a kickboxer first before entering professional boxing and eventually winning a major heavyweight title. Transitioning from one martial art to another is no easy task and often proves to be an awkward adjustment, but having a future Hall of Famer in Vitali to look up to is awe-inspiring for Izu.

As mentioned, we have seen some significant heavyweights in Pole position making their attempt at a world title. Of most recent vintage, Artur Szpilka was seen as a real threat by some. But if you know anything about "The Pin," you will be aware of his not so fun personality and attitude which only hinders the way he approaches fights. Historically speaking, the two best heavyweights Poland ever produced were Andrew Golota and Tomasz Adamek but the latter was physically just too small to win a title while many believe the former's mentality was extremely weak to succeed at the highest level. The bottom line is that the greatest prize in sport was never held by a man from the country which gave the world Blessed Pope John Paul II.

In general, heavyweights from this Eastern European country are quite an enigma. Before Golota burst onto the prizefighting scene in the 1990s, being Polish was a pedigree that did not resonate in heavyweight history. Twenty years later, Poland is rated behind only Ukraine and England as for quality and depth in the past 10 years in Europe with Russia a close #4. Societally speaking, many males from Poland are strong, physically imposing men. Take for instance five-time World's Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski. He won that title more than any other athlete. Just think: a Pole had so much success competing in the Dead Lift event yet has had such little pop in a heavyweight boxing world title fight (six Poles in nine total championship bouts failed to win a trinket). Enigma. They are so big yet cannot win the crown that signifies the baddest man on the planet.

Ugonoh's life story is not a convivial one. Born in Szczecin, Poland, and growing up east of that city in Gdansk, he would often be attacked on the streets by white skinheads who did not take well with him being black. In the 90s, this type of frightening racism was still very prevalent in the country. Today, though, Poland is a much more tolerant country. Racism is much less common compared to the 90s. Izu has referred to Poland as "a father who sometimes beat him and sometimes loved him". It was situations with racists that prompted "Black Pole" to realize he needs to defend himself. That is how Izu ultimately wound up in boxing. Today, he is proud to represent Poland in the ring fighting under the nation's flag. I admire him for the way he handled racism and how despite his negative experiences he does not hate Poland today. What he went through was ridiculous and I wish encounters with such skinhead racists never transpired. But the way Ugonoh has handled it with aplomb makes him the ultimate role model in my eyes.

"Black Pole" speaks Polish (100% fluently) without any accent. He speaks it even better than many average ethnic white citizens living in the country. Amazing when you look at him because you would not necessarily expect that coming from a black man. But never say never. Just think: ethnic Poles with white skin prompted a black man to take up a martial art to learn self-defense. The same black man who is on course to win the first and only piece of boxing's heavyweight crown for Poland. These white bullies' countrymen of the same skin color could not win a world crown yet the man they bullied will likely be the one to win it. It is ironic how things panned out here.

In life, when you have been down the same road many times and have always had bad things happen to you (watching Polish heavyweights attempting at a world title) you essentially expect to not have a positive result. And when that bad thing happens yet again (a loss) it is almost as though you have predicted it. This can be thought of as a self-fulfilling prophecy. At this point, I do not believe I will see in my lifetime a Pole wearing a heavyweight championship belt around his waist. Even though Izu brings great promise and the physique of a body builder into the ring, I still remain cautiously optimistic (I am simply of the opinion that if there is ever going to be a heavyweight champ from Poland, it will be Izu and that is it, nobody else and certainly not that clown Artur Szpilka). I have set my expectations low. Of course it would be nice to get a pleasant surprise and see Izu one day hold a piece of the heavyweight crown as the first Pole in boxing history. It would be an absolutely ecstatic moment. Probably the best time of my life outside of personal and family milestones. This goes to show what kind of an impact a professional athlete can have. But again, I am not holding out for it. And by the way, all this hype surrounding Chicago's hard-hitting heavyweight prospect Nick Mazurek, billed as the next Andrew Golota, has always escaped me. I regard Mazurek as an American with Polish roots. He fights under a different flag (U.S.) much like Dave Zyglewicz who challenged then-heavyweight champion "Smokin'" Joe Frazier in 1969. But Golota is who experts regard as the first Pole to challenge for a piece of the heavyweight title (circa 1997) despite the fact that Zyglewicz's challenge came nearly 30 years before Golota's.

Enigma is the perfect description for heavyweights from the part of the globe discussed here. If anything, it will probably take a son of Nigerian immigrants to win the first title for Poland in boxing's glory division. That's quite alright for all of sport is turning international. We have seen many athletes who could have represented their country of origin opt to pledge their allegiance to another nation instead (usually the nation which they moved to and settled in). In many ways, I think that Polish fans deserve their heavyweight champion. It goes back to the wondrous heavyweight glory claimed by Golota which captivated fans. These fans have been through a lot. The rough times started following the first Bowe-Golota fight when a riot ensued. Polish fans (predominantly white) fought against Bowe's fans from the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, NY (predominantly black) all over Madison Square Garden. It was a horrific evening that included injuries to police and arrests of both contingents. Many of Golota's bouts featured his fans in the crowd trading blows with his opponent's fans in the stands. Golota's bouts with Lewis, Ruiz, and Mollo also featured fan brawls. They are just not as documented. Polish fans suffered emotionally and physically at Golota's fights. They always left the arena with their heads held low because of the fight result not ending in Golota's favor. It was constant disappointment. Who would have thought that it may be a black man who can ultimately capture glory in the glamour division for Poland? Certainly not Polish fans who fought the black fans rooting for Riddick Bowe on July 11, 1996.

Ugonoh is every bit Polish as any white man. He openly says he is Polish. The boxer said in an interview: "Being in Las Vegas, in my thoughts I often silently walk the streets of Gdansk. Or I go by car through the streets of Gdansk. When I missed the city very much, I silently walked around the Old Town, Mariacka, and Szeroka streets... It brought me a sense of relief and satisfaction. Gdansk is simply my city. Regardless of where I will be living in the future, Gdansk will remain my city. It will always be fun to come back here." Hopefully, another street that Ugonoh soon will walk on will be world title road via heavyweight way.