About....

One of my tasks as creator of TopClassBoxing, involves keeping up to date with everything that is boxing related and writing about some of our sports brightest talents.

Every year there are always some fighters that break through and of course there are some that totally disappoint. So when I heard of this young fighter from Chicago who was terrorizing the amateur scene and taking medal after medal, I decided to look at some footage before I let myself get too carried away.  Upon watching a tape from the Texas Golden Gloves tournament and various other competitions, I came to the conclusion that this fighter was indeed something very special and not since the time I watched Miguel Angel Cotto in the amateurs has a fighter caught my attention the same way that this fighter has. The fighter I am writing about it of course Omar Henry.

At the time of writing Omar is just twenty two years old and through hard work and a lot of hours in the gym he has perfected his craft to the point where many boxing writers have started to compare his style to the one currently employed by the great Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto.

The reason for the comparison is no coincidence either, growing up Miguel served as one of Omar’s idols with the Houston fighter taking many traits from Cotto. In the ring Omar possesses quick hands, a snapping jab, one punch knockout power and is known like Cotto to be a punishing body puncher.

Omar started his boxing career back in 2003 and took to the fight game brilliantly. Throughout his amateur career he won the Texas Golden Gloves championships on four separate occasions, and was also able to capture two Texas US Championships taking the Outstanding Boxer award in 2007. When he left the amateur ranks his record was a stunning 60-5.

A star was born in boxing terms on July 18th 2008 which witnessed Omar’s professional debut. Expectations were high from this fighter who had taken the amateur scene by storm but Omar was focused and determined which showed in the bout as he scored a first round stoppage over Terence Anderson. Including this fight, Omar has gone on to win six straight bouts, five by way of either stoppage or knockout.

Apart from his professional career as a boxer Omar is also a student attending two colleges which are ACC Central and ACC West Loop. He hopes to move on to the university of Houston in the future with plans to major in Political Science.

Some of you may have heard Omar’s name due to the fact that he declined an invitation from Manny Pacquiao to serve as a sparring partner. Omar instead decided to concentrate on his education which of course made national and international news.

So you should now have a bit of a background on this smart, talented and all around nice guy, who with a great camp which includes a brilliant manager, agent and promotional company is definitely heading for the top.

We had the pleasure of talking to him last week and he was gracious enough to take part in an Interview with us here at TopClassBoxing.

RECORD AT THE TIME OF WRITING:
BOUTS	WINS	LOST	DRAWN	KO'S
6	6	0	0	5

 

 

 

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Interview....

GENERAL QUESTIONS:

Could you tell us how you got started in boxing?

I was always fascinated with boxing growing up and I would get into street fights in Chicago, IL. I eventually moved to Houston, TX; said to myself “I want to box!” walked into the gym and began.

What was your amateur record before entering the professional ranks?

My amateur record was 60-5.

And what was your biggest achievement?

My biggest achievement as an amateur was winning the Texas State Golden Gloves and becoming the outstanding boxer of the tournament.

For the people who may not have seen you fight before, can you describe your fight style?

I would consider myself as a Boxer/Puncher. I believe that I am an all around fighter, but I have a lot to learn and a lot to improve on.

What would you say is the best punch in your arsenal?

Any punch that I can land and hurt you with. ;>)

Who would you say as been the biggest influence on your boxing career so far?

My Mother, my Uncle Joe; R.I.P, and my manager Jay Johns.

Which fighter did you look up to growing up?

Roy Jones/ Mike Tyson

Could you tell us where you currently train and describe the gym there?

I train at Savannah’s Boxing Gym in Houston, Texas. The gym is great, the atmosphere is terrific and it is filled with top trainers, world champions and top contenders, such as Ronnie Shields, Juan Diaz, Rocky Jaurez and Kermit Cintron just to name a few.

Which exercise in the gym is a joy for you to do and which ones do you hate doing?

I like doing pushups; but I hate doing leg workouts.

Can you take us through a typical days training on the run up to a fight?

My day starts around 5:30 am with either running 3 to 6 miles or swimming 1 hour depending on the day. I’m usually at the gym from 10am-1pm. That includes usual boxing workouts; slip bag, shadow boxing, mitt work, bag work, sparring, etc. It also includes my strength training right after. I go to Yoga classes from 4pm-5pm two days a week; those days depend on my class schedule. Usually my classes start at 5:30 – 10:30 pm. I study in between.

You are one of the most exciting prospects in the sport at the moment, do you feel any pressure when you step inside the ring due to them expectations?

Yes and no. Yes, because I put a lot of pressure on myself; to reach my goals, improve, and to execute the things that we have worked on in the gym. And No; because I feel confident in the hard work that I have logged in the gym and the fights are my time show that. I want to impress fans whenever I step in the ring!

Many have described your style as one currently used by Miguel Cotto do you agree that the two of you share the same style?

Yes that’s no coincidence he is one of my favorite fighters so I guess by me watching him fight some of the good things that he does has rubbed off on me. But I have a lot more that the people have yet to see. I work hard to be a well rounded boxer.

Last time out you beat Carlos Aballe by unanimous decision can you tell us about your preparations going into that fight and how do you feel the fight went in general?

The preparation for the fight went great like always... the fight came a little tough because he is rough veteran, with veteran tactics. I got hit with a couple of head butts, one of which cut me. I believe that it showed my heart. It was a great test that I think I passed. I’m happy I went the distance to show that I have stamina and heart fighting with a bloody cut. I think I could have knocked him out if the fight was a six rounder. He spat his mouthpiece out after a knockdown in the last round to kill some time and the bell rang and saved him. It was a great learning experience.

I know that it is still early in your career but what would be your most satisfying win so far and what's been your most difficult opponent?

My pro debut has been my most satisfying win thus far because that’s like the first time actually riding your bike without the training wheels! My most difficult was my last fight because Aballe was a good, savvy veteran and he was game to fight; plus I had to deal with being cut.

You have got fighters in your division such as Paul Williams, James Kirkland, Kermit Cintron and Sergio Martinez who are all vying
for the main man spot, who in your opinion is the man to beat in the light middleweight division?

They are all great fighters and I hope that with hard work I can be in their spots one day. I know that I need to learn a lot and my turn is years to come.

Can you give us a brief description on what you think of each of the following fighters:

Paul Williams
James Kirkland
Kermit Cintron
Sergio Martinez
Alfredo Angulo

All are great fighters. They are a hard day for anyone.

You have sparred with the likes of Verno Philips and Kermit Cintron in the past, what was that experience like and what did you
learn from them guys?

The experience was great it showed me I can compete with guys at the top level and I get to learn little veteran tricks on how to fight on the inside and pacing yourself right. It shows that there is much to learn.

POUND 4 POUND:

Who do you believe sits currently at the top of the pound 4 pound rankings?

Any of the guys in the top five could be that. It depends on what you like. I am a fan of them all.

You were previously invited to attend Manny Pacquiao's training camp to help him with some sparring but you choose to turn down the invitation. Could you tell some of the readers why you choose to decline his invitation and looking back now do you now regret that decision?

Because of college and that I had a fight coming up. In a sense it would have been great to be around a great fighter, and also a worldwide celebrity; but in the end I don't regret the decision because I wouldn’t be doing this interview if I had went. :>)

MIGUEL COTTO V MANNY PACQUIAO:

In this years mega fight between Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao, who do you think will come out victorious and how do you think the fight will unfold?

I’m not sure. I know that it will be a great fight between two of the most explosive fighters out there today.

FUTURE:

What does 2009/20 10 hold for you Omar?

I have a fight in Rochester, NY on Dec. 3rd. And for the future I will continue to train hard, learn my craft, and fight whoever my trainers, manager, and promoter puts in front of me.

When you retire many years from now what would be your dream outcome?

To have been an undisputed champion, pound for pound champ, and to hopefully make it in the hall of fame.

Well champ I would absolutely love to see you fight live  Is fighting in the uk something you would like to do in the future or am
I going to have to sort out some flights to watch you in the US?

haha No I would love to fight in the UK. You guys are some of the best boxing fans. I hope I have a lot of fans out there. It seems that way from what I can see from my myspace/facebook/twitter. There’s a fan by the name of John Chapman that lives in the UK that does custom pictures on my myspace for me. Hopefully in the future I can fight out there.

Is there anything you would like to say to the readers of Topclassboxing?

Yes, thank you for all your support on my career and keep supporting me and hopefully I will fight in the UK soon! Cheers!

We at TopClassBoxing would also like to say a BIG thank you to Jah Johns because this Interview wouldnt have been possible without his help.

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