Heavyweight prospect Leo Atang took just two rounds to improve to 8-0 (7 KOs) with victory over Glen Williams in Los Angeles last weekend.
Still only 19, the Matchroom-promoted Atang sees himself as one of the next crop of young heavyweight stars coming through, including Irishman Adam Olaniyan and Australia’s Teremoana.
“As it stands, fair enough, [Moses] Itauma’s probably up there [at the top now],” said Atang. “He’s in talks for getting world title fights and stuff like that. But skill-wise and everything else, I see myself up there with them all and I think that they’re the names which are going to be the ones for the future.”
Olaniyan, managed by Brian Peters, is 2-0 (2 KOs) and already has his next two dates in the diary.
“Yeah, I know Adam,” Atang said. “He was at the amateur tournaments when I was there. I’ve sparred him and stuff like that. He’s a nice lad. He’s good. Good fighter. Not much more to say.”
Whether their paths cross in the future, and Olaniyan is promoted by Queensberry, remains to be seen, but Atang is focused only on his own journey and not anyone else’s.
“I’m not bothered [about Olaniyan],” Atang added. “But it’s like, I want to be a world champion. So anyone who’s going to get in the way of that, end of the day, we’re going to have to fight. So it’s not personal, but it’s all business. And I’m more than happy to take them fights.”
Of course, the heavyweights will take center stage this week when Tyson Fury fights in Thailand Friday and Anthony Joshua boxes in Saudi Arabia the following day against Mariusz Wach and Kristian Prenga respectively.
While Atang is learning the business, he knows where he would like the eventual Fury-Joshua fight to take place.
“I think it’s got to be England,” he said. “It’s got to be Wembley. Two big British names. It’s not even just like two big fighters, but they kind of are the two sort of superstars of British boxing. So them two fighting each other is massive. They could sell Wembley out many times. So it’s kind of got to be there.”
What does Atang think of the proposed 2am start time to appease Netflix executives who think that it would make the fight more appealing in America?
“It’s a bit weird, but I just want to see the fight happen,” said Atang. “I’m on board when it is, as long as the fight happens. You’ve got to go where the money is.”
