Henry Akinwande (born October 12, 1965) is a professional heavyweight boxer and former
WBOThe World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. Its offices are located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.-History:...
world heavyweight champion.
Akinwande was born in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
but went to live in his parents homeland of Nigeria as a 4yr old and came back to England as a 21yr old (1986). As an amateur boxing out of the Lynn amateur boxing club in Walworth, SE London, he was ABA heavyweight champion in both 1988 and 1989, beating another fellow Nigerian and future WBO world heavyweight champion
Herbie HideHerbie Hide is a British boxer of Nigerian heritage from Norwich currently fighting in the cruiserweight class...
and represented Great Britain in the heavyweight division at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.
Henry Akinwande (born October 12, 1965) is a professional heavyweight boxer and former
WBOThe World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. Its offices are located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.-History:...
world heavyweight champion.
Akinwande was born in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
but went to live in his parents homeland of Nigeria as a 4yr old and came back to England as a 21yr old (1986). As an amateur boxing out of the Lynn amateur boxing club in Walworth, SE London, he was ABA heavyweight champion in both 1988 and 1989, beating another fellow Nigerian and future WBO world heavyweight champion
Herbie HideHerbie Hide is a British boxer of Nigerian heritage from Norwich currently fighting in the cruiserweight class...
and represented Great Britain in the heavyweight division at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. He made his professional debut in 1989 against Carlton Headley in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.
Akinwande won all of his first 18 bouts before challenging
Axel SchulzAxel Schulz, born 9 November 1968 in Bad Saarow, Germany is a former German boxer.-Amateur career:From 1982 Schulz boxed for the army sports club Vorwärts in Frankfurt , later becoming the East German youth champion...
for the vacant European heavyweight title in
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
in 1992. The fight, scored only by the referee was adjudged to be a draw after 12 rounds.
Following a victory over
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
’s
James ThunderJimmy Thunder , is a former Samoan boxer.- Early life :His mother Papaliitele Milagi Leaupepe is from the village of Fasitoouta, and his father Lupematasila Maalo Faasavalu Peau is from the village of Falelatai. Thunder was born third out of six siblings. They all grew up in Auckland, New Zealand...
for the Commonwealth title in 1993, Akinwande again challenged Schulz for the vacant European belt. This time three judges were employed and Akinwande was awarded a unanimous decision after 12 rounds. He was to defend the title three times.
In 1996 Akinwande faced
Jeremy WilliamsJeremy Williams is a professional boxer and mixed martial artist.-Amateur career:As an amateur, he was the 1989 and 1990 United States amateur Light Heavyweight champion and the 1990 and 1991 National Golden Gloves Light Heavyweight champion, and is a member of the Golden Gloves hall of fame.He...
for the WBO title which had been vacated by
Riddick BoweRiddick Lamont Bowe is an American boxer and former undisputed heavyweight champion. He is best remembered for his trilogy of fights with Evander Holyfield and two brutal bouts with Andrew Golota...
, a fight which Akinwande was to win via a 3rd round stoppage. Akinwande went on to defend the belt twice, with victories over Alexander Zolkin and Scott Welch.
The WBO belt was then vacated so that Akinwande could pursue a challenge to
WBCThe World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
champion
Lennox LewisLennox Claudius Lewis, CM, CBE is a retired boxer and former undisputed World heavyweight champion. He won gold for Canada at the 1988 Olympic Games as an amateur....
in 1997. The fight took place at Caesars Tahoe in
NevadaNevada is a state located in the western region of the United States. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is Silver State, due to the large number of silver deposits that were discovered and mined there...
. Akinwande was strangely subdued and spent much of the fight attempting to clinch Lewis. After repeaded warnings, referee
Mills LaneMills Bee Lane III is a boxing referee, and also a former boxer, judge, and television personality. He is best known for having officiated over several major heavyweight championship boxing matches in the 1980s and 1990s, and for starring in the television show Judge Mills Lane.-Biography:Lane...
finally ran out of patience and disqualified Akinwande for repeated holding in the 5th round.
A proposed challenge to
Evander HolyfieldEvander Holyfield is a professional boxer from the United States and a multiple world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal". Holyfield won the bronze medal in the Light Heavyweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics after a...
for the
WBAThe World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title, at the professional level. It is also the most major title out of the four. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
belt in 1998 was later abandoned after Akinwande tested positive for hepatitis B. This meant a lengthy spell of recovery for Akinwande, but he was finally cleared to return to the ring in 1999.
A fight with
Oliver McCallOliver "The Atomic Bull" McCall is an American professional Heavyweight boxer known for his outstanding ability to take a punch and winning the World Boxing Council Heavyweight Championship 1994 as a result of knocking out Lennox Lewis in the second round, in Lewis' home town of London,...
in 2001 resulted in Akinwande’s 2nd defeat. After Akinwande had controlled virtually the entire fight, McCall caught him with a few seconds remaining in the 10th and final round. Akinwande was counted out.
Akinwande is still fighting today. In late 2006, after moving back into title contention, he dropped a split decision to
Oleg PlatovOleg Platov is a professional boxer who fights in the heavyweight division.-Debut fight:After leaving the amateurs ranks Platov was based in Belgium when he became a professional...
, a bout in which Akinwande received point deduction in 8th round for holding, and Platovg received point deduction in 9th for head butt.
After that fight he won another fight against Andriy Oleinyk in 2007 before losing to Ondrej Pala by unanimous decision on July 4 2008 he hasn't fought in a year.
Amateur Highlights
- 1986 ABA 2nd place at Heavyweight
- 1987 ABA 2nd place at Heavyweight
- 1988 ABA Champion at Heavyweight
- 1988 represented Great Britain as a Heavyweight at the Seoul Olympic Games. Result was:
- Lost to Arnold Vanderlyde
Arnold Petrus Maria Vanderlyde is a former boxer from the Netherlands, who participated in three Summer Olympics and won three bronze medals in the heavyweight division , starting in 1984 in Los Angeles, California...
(Netherlands) points
- 1989 ABA Champion at Heavyweight, outpointing Herbie Hide
Herbie Hide is a British boxer of Nigerian heritage from Norwich currently fighting in the cruiserweight class...
in final.