Prize fighter Bogere fully rested for title-eliminator

Bogere savours a water-break during training. PHOTO BY D. BUGINGO

BOSTON- Rest can be good for any sportsman especially boxers. If true for Sharif ‘The Lion’ Bogere, his last 191 days off fighting could have him revitalized and ready to rip into Javier Fortuna Saturday.

Rest also can mean rust, the dangerous oxidization of mind, body, and spirit too often part and parcel of such a long respite. Bogere’s last fight was in August last year, a unanimous decision victory over Oscar Bravo.

Rested or rusty or somewhere in between, the Pearl of Africa ‘Lion’ will be back in the ring Saturday, when he takes on a tough opponent (Fortuna) from Dominican Republic, in a 10-round lightweight eliminator contest at the Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California, USA. This mouthwatering prospect will be live on Showtime Television.

Swing of things
“We train hard and we practice hard and it’s pretty easy to get back in the swing of things. I have not fought since last August but that doesn’t mean I have not been getting ready. I feel good and ready,” said Bogere, acknowledging the toughness of his opponent. “We know that he (Fortuna) likes to be aggressive in those first rounds. And there is no doubt, he is a tough guy but I have a fight plan and will be deploying a different approach for every round in order to destabilize him.” Talking about experience, Fortuna’s is upper-class.

He is a two time former World Champion. On the undercard of Manny Pacquaio verses Juan Marquez IV in 2012, Fortuna beat Patrick Hyland to claim a WBA interim featherweight title. He would later on in 2015 show up on another big stage, Amir Khan versus Chris Algieri to defeat Bryan Vazquez and claim that WBA Super Featherweight title.

He has been tested and if there’s anybody who has to give Bogere better preparations for a title fight, this is the guy. “Fortuna is a serious boxer who knows what to do. But I have also been in this sport for 10 years and ready,” said Bogere.