Can Thomas Essomba clinch part one of a Sunderland championship double?
The 30-year-old faces Louis Norman in Leicester tonight for the vacant English bantamweight title, 24 hours before Glenn Foot challenges for the vacant Commonwealth light-welterweight belt against Jason Easton in Glasgow.
It is Essomba’s first bout since losing his Commonwealth flyweight crown exactly 12 months ago to big-hitting Welshman Jay Harris.
Since his second pro defeat, the Wearsider and boss, Phil Jeffries, have gone their separate ways and the two-time Olympian arrives at the majestic King Power Stadium with ‘under new management’ signs.
Just how he fares may depend on how much fire is still burning inside the Wearsider.
Essomba is certainly not on his ‘last legs’, physically, having averaged just a fight per year over recent seasons. This will only be his 10th paid appearance.
Since destroying Waleed Din to take the vacant Commonwealth flyweight title in October 2015, the pocket battleship has boxed only three times, a routine points win over the veteran Sergei Tasimov before being outpointed by Iain Butcher in Edinburgh in May 2016 and then that Commonwealth loss to Harris in February 2017, his only two professional set-backs.
Essomba lost by five, three and one rounds to the Welshman, though had he shown more urgency that result could have been turned into a majority decision.
Given he is in the backyard of Norman tonight, the former Cameroon captain must be more decisive.
Despite Norman being six year’s Essomba’s junior he has been the busier pro, fighting 17 times, six of those being championship bouts.
The Shepshed boxer, known as 2Sweet, did suffer three defeats in a 12-month period between May 2016-May 2017, but all came against good company, to Andrew Selby, Don Broadhurst and Kyle Yousaf, and all via points.
He returned to the winner’s enclosure last September, when Leicester Mercury and Boxing News reporter, Matt Bozeat, noted ‘there were moments of quality from Norman in his six-round points win over unbeaten, but outclassed George Brennan’.
Essomba, therefore, will have his work cut out tonight, when he must find the form he showed up the M1 at Rotherham against Din if he is to force a points win in what should be 10 very competitive rounds.
Words: Roy Kelly
