Odel Kamara Beats Thodoris Ritzakis On His Professional Debut
Odel Kamara walked out for his professional debut like a superstar in waiting. Heavily hyped. The 22-year-old had a lot of pressure on his shoulders heading into his fight with Thodoris Ritzakis on Saturday night at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham. But Kamara fought with a maturity beyond his years in their four-round super-lightweight contest.
Kamara came out fast. But controlled. The Liverpool fighter showed blindingly fast hands, and he clearly carries power in those fists. The right hand, which looked dangerous from the opening seconds, dropped his Greek opponent with 45 seconds of the opening round remaining. Ritzakis finished that first round with blood streaming from his nose, but he did well to survive the early onslaught. Another few seconds and the fight might have been over right there and then.
Ritzakis (5-6-1), after that disastrous start, was a little more competitive in the second round, as the young prospect was perhaps guilty of trying too hard to find the highlight-reel finishing punch. But Kamara was still showing glimpses of his obvious potential. The third round was much of the same. Ritzakis had fleeting moments of success, but Kamara was throwing repeated heavy shots and didn’t care too much what was coming back at him. There was a gulf in class, but Ritzakis didn’t come to fall over without a fight.
The ending was somewhat anticlimactic when the referee waved it off when Ritzakis seemed more than capable of carrying on. But the fight was only going one way. The end came at 2:53 of the third round. Ritzakis would argue he had a little more to give, but he didn’t complain too much when the fight was waved off. Kamara would have liked a cleaner, more conclusive finish. But his professional debut had the look of a potential star.
Kamara won a bronze medal at last year’s World amateur championships, and looks set to replicate that success in the professional ranks. Kamara wants to be one of the best of all time. It’s too early for that. But there is plenty to be encouraged about.
Photo Credit: Matchroom Boxing
