Ngozika Ekwelum (born 15 March 1948) is a Nigerian former heavyweight boxer, who held the Nigerian and African Boxing Union heavyweight titles in the 1970s and 1980s.
Career From Anambra State, as an amateur, Ekwelum competed in the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, losing in the quarter-final to Irishman John McKinty.
Ekwelum spent much of his professional career based in Germany. He made his professional debut in September 1973, knocking out Ireno Werleman in the second round. Two months later, in his third fight, he drew with former Italian champion Armando Zanini in Brescia. In his next fight, in February 1974, he suffered his first professional defeat, to the vastly experienced Argentine Avenamar Peralta. He followed this the next month with a drawn fight with another Argentine, Santiago Lovell. A seventh-round knockout of Richard Dunn followed in April 1974.Ryan, Joe (2012) Heavyweight Boxing in the 1970s: The Great Fighters and Rivalries, McFarland & Co., , p. 210 In January 1975 he knocked Eddie Neilson down four times before winning by a send-round stoppage, and a month later lost a narrow points decision to Billy Aird, both of these fights taking place in England. Back in Germany, between March 1975 and May 1976, he won five fights and drew one. In November 1976 he travelled to Madrid to face Argentine champion Raul Gorosito, the 8-round fight judged a draw. In December 1976 he beat future world title challenger Lucien Rodriguez on points,Holmes, Larry (1999) Larry Holmes: Against the Odds, St. Martin's Press, , p. 220 then had a run of three defeats; First, in January 1977 he was stopped in the seventh round in Johannesburg by Kallie Knoetze,"Kallie Wins in Seven", South African Digest, Department of Information, 1977, p. 21"South Africa: South African Kallie Knoetze Beats Nigerian Champion Ngozika Ekwelum - Fight Stopped In Seventh Round.", British Pathé, 1977. Retrieved 14 September 2019 which saw him receive a lifetime ban from the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control for fighting in South Africa.Africa, Africa Journal Limited, Issues 65-76, p. 146 In May he was stopped in the sixth round by John L. Gardner at the Royal Albert Hall, in what would have been a fight for the vacant Commonwealth title, but the Nigerian authorities refused to sanction it due to Ekwelum's fight in South Africa. He was then out of the ring until September 1978, when he was disqualified in the third round against Hennie Thoonen in Heerenveen for punching with the inside of the glove. He returned to winning ways in November 1978 with a fifth-round stoppage of German (BDB) champion Bernd August, and then in 1979 became based back in is home country, the ban evidently lifted. He had immediate success, knocking Eddie Cooper out in March to win the Nigerian heavyweight title. In October that year he knocked out Joe Kalala in the third round to take the African Boxing Union (ABU) title. In December 1979 he travelled to Canada to face Trevor Berbick, losing via a fifth-round stoppage. In March 1980 he stopped Paul Sykes in the first round, in what would prove to be his final win. He lost his ABU title in December 1983 to Proud Kilimanjaro, the Zimbabwean knocking him out in the twelfth and final round. In November 1984 he lost to Malian Mary Konate, and in his final fight in August 1986, at the age of 38, he was beaten on points by Charles Udalor in a Nigerian heavyweight title clash.Thisweek, Nigeria, 1986, p. 43
In 2015, he was reportedly planning to open a boxing academy in Awka, Anambra State."Ex-African Boxing Champion, Ekwelum Plans Sports Academy", Elombah News, 20 October 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2019
Professional boxing record
ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes32Loss17–10–5Charles UdalorPTS121 Aug 198631Loss17–9–5Mary KonateTKO7 (10)14 Nov 198630Loss17–8–5Proud KilimanjaroKO12 (12)2 Dec 198329Loss17–7–5Adama MensahPTS121 Jan 198328Win17–6–5Paul SykesKO1 (10)29 Mar 198027Loss16–6–5Trevor BerbickTKO5 (10), 11 Dec 197926Win16–5–5Joe KalalaKO3 (15)5 Oct 197925Win15–5–5Tony MooreTKO6 (10)7 Jul 197924Win14–5–5Eddie CooperKO3 (15)8 Mar 197923Win13–5–5Bernd AugustKO5 (10)6 Nov 197822Loss12–5–5Hennie ThoonenDQ3 (10)16 Sep 197821Loss12–4–5John L. GardnerTKO6 (10), 31 May 197720Loss12–3–5Kallie KnoetzeTKO7 (10)28 Jan 197719Win12–2–5Lucien RodriguezPTS812 Dec 197618Draw11–2–5Raúl GorisitoPTS819 Nov 197617Win11–2–4Tony MoorePTS824 May 197616Win10–2–4Terry JudgeKO3 (8)27 Dec 197515Win9–2–4Conny VelenšekTKO7 (8)10 Oct 197514Win8–2–4Sugar Ray AndersonKO5 (8)24 Jun 197513Draw7–2–4Sugar Ray AndersonPTS816 May 197512Win7–2–3Fernando DescampsKO2 (8)18 Mar 197511Loss6–2–3Billy AirdPTS84 Feb 197510Win6–1–3Eddie NeilsonTKO2 (8), 6 Jan 19759Draw5–1–3Conny VelenšekPTS83 Sep 19748Win5–1–2José Antonio GálvezTKO8 (8)12 Jul 19747Win4–1–2Kilani RamdaniTKO2 (6)16 May 19746Win3–1–2Richard DunnKO7 (10)11 Apr 19745Draw2–1–2Santiago Lovell Jr.PTS814 Mar 19744Loss2–1–1Avenamar PeraltaPTS1020 Feb 19743Draw2–0–1Armando ZaniniPTS824 Nov 19732Win2–0José Antonio GálvezPTS626 Oct 19731Win1–0Ireno WerlemanKO2 (8)28 Sep 1973
References