{"id":2811,"date":"2026-07-08T09:35:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T06:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/durodola-kos-akano-in-first-round-to-strengthen-world-title-bid\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T09:35:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T06:35:27","slug":"durodola-kos-akano-in-first-round-to-strengthen-world-title-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/durodola-kos-akano-in-first-round-to-strengthen-world-title-bid\/","title":{"rendered":"Durodola KOs Akano in First Round to Strengthen World Title Bid"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Veteran cruiserweight contender Olanrewaju Durodola made another strong case for a future world title opportunity with a first-round stoppage of Sadiq Akano at the Prizefighting.tv Boxing Classic, held at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos.<\/p>\n<h2>Key takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Durodola stopped Akano in the opening round to reinforce his push for another world title shot.<\/li>\n<li>The main event was scheduled as an eight-round national cruiserweight fight, but referee Moruf Akanbi halted it after Akano failed to come out for the count.<\/li>\n<li>Durodola\u2019s professional tally improved to 50 victories, with 45 coming by knockout, from 51 bouts.<\/li>\n<li>Eleven additional fights were contested across multiple weight classes on the undercard.<\/li>\n<li>Several bouts featured late stoppages and decisions, including a draw between Ezekiel Igbozurike and Sunday Abudu.<\/li>\n<li>Organisers donated N1 million to support the cancer treatment of Folashade, the wife of boxer Kabiru \u201cKB\u201d Towolawi.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Main event: Durodola\u2019s quick win<\/h2>\n<p>The 45-year-old, nicknamed \u201cGod\u2019s Power\u201d, set the tone immediately by cutting off the ring and applying pressure from the opening bell. His work culminated in a combination that sent Akano to the canvas, prompting referee Moruf Akanbi to stop the scheduled eight-round national cruiserweight contest after Akano could not beat the count.<\/p>\n<p>The victory moved Durodola to 50 wins in his professional career, including 45 knockouts, from a total of 51 fights.<\/p>\n<h2>Undercard highlights across divisions<\/h2>\n<p>Eleven other bouts took place on the undercard across different weight categories.<\/p>\n<p>In the lightweight division, Adebayo Adeniyi Dada defeated Kola Adeyemo by third-round technical knockout after Adeyemo\u2019s corner retired him. Samuel Elegbede then claimed a unanimous decision against Sadiq Popoola in a six-round middleweight contest. Ganiu Olaitan followed with a fourth-round stoppage of Walter Sunday, with Sunday unable to continue due to a nose injury. Saheed Abdullahi also won by fourth-round technical knockout, beating Wasiu Jimoh in a middleweight encounter.<\/p>\n<p>At heavyweight, the bout between Ezekiel Igbozurike and Sunday Abudu ended level, with the fight resulting in a draw.<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere, Ibadan-based Opeyemi Ibrahim won a tightly contested six-round super bantamweight match, taking a unanimous decision over Abiodun Muyideen. Hamzat Idris and Oluwashina Ayomikun Balogun fought to a draw in an international middleweight bout, while Yusuf Ayinde Ogunbunmi earned a unanimous decision over Ibukun Ipaje in an eight-round welterweight contest.<\/p>\n<p>Later on the card, Sadam Oladipupo beat Yusuf Ogunbumi by unanimous decision in the super lightweight division. Temitope Ademulere stopped Tanjar Bethel Defense in the fifth round, and Samson Kazeem closed the proceedings with a third-round technical knockout of Anselme Gnansingbe.<\/p>\n<h2>Donation to support cancer treatment<\/h2>\n<p>Beyond the action in the ring, the organisers made a charitable contribution of N1 million toward the medical care of Folashade, the wife of boxer Kabiru \u201cKB\u201d Towolawi, who is battling cancer. Speaking on behalf of the organisers, spokesman Miyen Akiri said the donation was meant to help ease the family\u2019s medical expenses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Veteran cruiserweight contender Olanrewaju Durodola made another strong case for a future world title opportunity with a first-round stoppage of Sadiq Akano at the Prizefighting.tv Boxing Classic, held at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos. Key takeaways Durodola stopped Akano in the opening round to reinforce his push for another world title shot. The main [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2810,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Durodola Stops Akano in 1st Round: Cruiserweight News","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Durodola blasts Sadiq Akano in the first round at the Prizefighting.tv Boxing Classic, sending a loud message for a future cruiser","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Durodola Stops Akano in 1st Round: Cruiserweight News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Durodola blasts Sadiq Akano in the first round at the 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