Ekow Essuman heads into his jack rafferty fight this weekend in Manchester saying there is no pressure on him. The 37-year-old is coming off the first stoppage defeat of his 24-fight career, but he said he wants to stay at the same level rather than take an easier match.
“But how much is on the line? To me, nothing’s on the line. It’s just go out and do what I do. I’m not boxing for anyone aside from myself and my family. I’m going to go out there, do what I do, enjoy it, and do it well and get paid for it,” Essuman said ahead of the bout.
Manchester fight for Essuman
Essuman is scheduled to face Jack Rafferty this weekend in Manchester after being stopped by Jack Catterall in November. That loss ended a run in which he had not been stopped across 24 fights, and he has said he does not want an easy match after that result.
“Even so, after the last match, I said, ‘I don't want to get an easy match to come down to,’” he said. “Put me back in.”
Rafferty and 147 pounds
Essuman said Rafferty is a boxer who can do his job. “He’s good at what he does,” he said. He also said he believes Rafferty will have “a real epiphany” when they meet at 147 pounds.
The fight is the next test of whether Essuman can respond to a rare setback without stepping down in level. He enters with a 22-2 record and 8 KOs, and Frank Warren has described him as one of the most stubborn boxers in his stable.
Essuman's training approach
Essuman said his fitness comes from mindset and sports science, not just time in the gym. “The foundation of my fitness is just, it’s a state of mind,” he said, adding that he prefers “the Hyrox kind of S&C [strength and conditioning] to a traditional just get in the gym and push weights.”
He also pointed to his background when discussing how he trains. “I know being born in Africa [in Botswana], certain people do things in a different way,” he said. “And when you look into sports studies, that different way makes sense.”
For a boxer coming off a first stoppage loss, the question is not whether he has taken a softer route. Essuman said he wants the harder one, and Manchester will show whether that choice holds up against Rafferty.
