Franklin Egobi
Encyclopedia
Franklin George Egobi is a professional Nigerian
heavyweight
boxer
from Tooting
, London. His professional record stands at 15 wins, 10 by way of knock-out, four losses in 19 bouts.
, making his debut against Donovan Luff on 22 February 2000 and winning a unanimous judges decision after four rounds. He fought seven more times, all knock-out victories, before defeating Isaac Mahlangu for the IBF
Continental Africa heavyweight title on 25 September 2001. His first defeat was at the hands of Petr Sedlak in Ploiești
, Romania
on 24 June 2003. Egobi was due to fight Scott Gammer
on in June 2007 as a replacement for Colin Kenna
(who had suffered a nose injury), but Egobi in turn suffered an injury of his own and pulled out of the fight four days before.
Prior to fighting debutant Lukas Kuznowicz in September 2009, Egobi was sparring with former undisputed
World heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis
. He defeated Kuznowicz on points over the four round contest. He also fought for the vacant Latvia
n heavyweight title against Edgars Kalnars on 18 October 2008, losing a unanimous decision after 10 rounds.
In October 2010, Egobi entered the 14th Prizefighter
aired live on Sky Sports
, where he faced Kevin McBride
in the quarter-finals, losing by split decision.
. He also enjoys playing table tennis
and football. He also supports Premier League football team, Chelsea
.
Demographics of Nigeria
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Nigeria, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
from Tooting
Tooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, London. His professional record stands at 15 wins, 10 by way of knock-out, four losses in 19 bouts.
Boxing career
Nicknamed "the Prince", Egobi started his boxing career in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, making his debut against Donovan Luff on 22 February 2000 and winning a unanimous judges decision after four rounds. He fought seven more times, all knock-out victories, before defeating Isaac Mahlangu for the IBF
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
Continental Africa heavyweight title on 25 September 2001. His first defeat was at the hands of Petr Sedlak in Ploiești
Ploiesti
Ploiești is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia in Romania. The city is located north of Bucharest....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
on 24 June 2003. Egobi was due to fight Scott Gammer
Scott Gammer
Scott Gammer is a British boxer, based in Wales he is a former holder of the British heavyweight title.-Professional career:...
on in June 2007 as a replacement for Colin Kenna
Colin Kenna
Colin Kenna is an Irish boxer, formerly a holder of the BBofC Southern Area heavyweight title belt. Kenna currently resides in Southampton, England.-Career:...
(who had suffered a nose injury), but Egobi in turn suffered an injury of his own and pulled out of the fight four days before.
Prior to fighting debutant Lukas Kuznowicz in September 2009, Egobi was sparring with former undisputed
Undisputed Champion
In professional boxing, the undisputed champion of a weight class is a boxer who is recognized as the world champion at that class by each boxing organization.-History:...
World heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis
Lennox Lewis
Lennox Claudius Lewis, CM, CBE is a retired boxer and the most recent British undisputed world heavyweight champion. He holds dual British and Canadian citizenship...
. He defeated Kuznowicz on points over the four round contest. He also fought for the vacant Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n heavyweight title against Edgars Kalnars on 18 October 2008, losing a unanimous decision after 10 rounds.
In October 2010, Egobi entered the 14th Prizefighter
Prizefighter series
The Prizefighter series is a knock out boxing tournament created by boxing promoter Barry Hearn and aired on Sky Sports. The format has an initial eight fighters, who compete in four quarter-finals of 3 x 3 minute rounds followed by two semi-finals and one final all on the same night...
aired live on Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
, where he faced Kevin McBride
Kevin McBride
Kevin Martin McBride is an Irish boxer, who competed for his native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.McBride debuted in December 1992, with a victory against Gary Charlton...
in the quarter-finals, losing by split decision.
Personal life
Egobi teaches children boxing at Nightingale School in TootingTooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
. He also enjoys playing table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
and football. He also supports Premier League football team, Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
.