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Ghanaian bantamweight fighter, Duke Micah, has described next year as a defining one in his career after earning a deserved unanimous decisive victory over Janiel Rivera of Puerto Rico at the Barclays Centre in New York last Saturday.
Micah believes he will fight for the world title by close of next year, having had two successful wins over Luis Roy Suarez Cruz in August, and Rivera last Saturday after over a year of inactivity.
The 28-year-old Micah told the Graphic Sports from his New York base that he was getting ready for the world championship next year after what he described as an important win over Rivera, which saw all three judges score 79-72, 78-73 and 78-74 in his favour.
“It is a good win for me and my team, especially when it has been two successive victories this year, after a long period of inactivity.
“I am in good shape now and I think next year will be great for me because it is going to be a defining one in my career,” Micah said.
Micah had started the fight on a bright note as the aggressor in the first round, and knocked down Rivera with a right hand on his jaw, only to be saved by the bell.
The hard-hitting Ghanaian continued to control the bout in the second round before a left uppercut caught his chin, sending him to the canvas in the third round.
Micah rose from the canvas and stood toe-to-toe with the Puerto Rican and equalised his knockdown in the third round by landing a counterpunch which deposited Rivera for the second time in the fight. He, however, managed to survive the third round with wobbly legs as Micah battered him around the ring.
It was a convincing win for the Ghanaian boxer who consistently dominated Rivera by landing another right hand in the fifth minute which earned him the third knockdown of the evening.
Meanwhile, Rivera’s hopes of coming back stronger in the final three rounds proved futile as his combinations to Micah’s head and body didn’t trouble the Ghanaian who extended his unbeaten record to 24 wins with 19 victories coming by way of knockout.
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