Friday Ahunanya
Encyclopedia
Friday Chinedu Ahunanya, born Friday November 19, 1971 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria
, is a professional boxer
. He is a journeyman heavyweight best known to beat several undefeated prospects and for his appearances on ESPN
fight cards.
He fights out of Las Vegas, NV and is the current holder of the PABA heavyweight title and NABA heavyweight title.
. In 2001 he lost a decision to undefeated (15-0) Olympian and future titlist Serguei Lyakhovich.
In 2002 he handed French Olympian Josue Blocus
his first loss.
In 2004 had his only early loss when hit in the eye in the 4th by Lance Whitaker
. The loss to Whitaker was the beginning of decline for Ahunanya. He went on to lose to Taurus Sykes
in New Mexico, who was
not highly regarded in spite of his 22-1-1 record in 2005, arguably the low point of his career.
He then drew with fringe contender Dominick Guinn
, and then was competitive in losing efforts against undefeated prospects Sultan Ibragimov
(Olympic silver medalist) and 6-0 Olympic Gold medalist Alexander Povetkin
.
In 2007 he rebounded by handing 19-0 New Zealand
prospect Shane Cameron
his first loss by knocking him down twice in the 12th and final round, after the second knockdown the referee intervened and stopped the contest, earning him a TKO victory.
In 2008 he stopped another undefeated prospect in Alonzo Butler
.
Friday Lost to David Tua
in March 2010 in New Zealand via decision. However Friday and his manager claimed Friday should have won, and would have if the fight had been in the USA. After further review it was obvious that David Tua won the fight by unanimous decision.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, is a professional boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. He is a journeyman heavyweight best known to beat several undefeated prospects and for his appearances on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
fight cards.
He fights out of Las Vegas, NV and is the current holder of the PABA heavyweight title and NABA heavyweight title.
Career
Known as Friday "The 13th", Ahunanya began his career in 1998 with a good deal of promise, winning his first 16 fights including a victory over undefeated (16-0-1) Nate JonesNate Jones
Nathaniel Henry Jones was a boxer. Nicknamed "The Snake", Jones won the National Golden Gloves 1994 and 1995 and the Heavyweight bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics.- Amateur career:...
. In 2001 he lost a decision to undefeated (15-0) Olympian and future titlist Serguei Lyakhovich.
In 2002 he handed French Olympian Josue Blocus
Josué Blocus
Josué Edmond Blocus is a French heavyweight boxer best known to compete in the 1996 Olympics.-Amateur:Blocus is a black Frenchman whose family is from Guadeloupe....
his first loss.
In 2004 had his only early loss when hit in the eye in the 4th by Lance Whitaker
Lance Whitaker
Lance Whitaker is an American heavyweight boxer, who won the bronze medal as an amateur at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata...
. The loss to Whitaker was the beginning of decline for Ahunanya. He went on to lose to Taurus Sykes
Taurus Sykes
Taurus Jabbar Sykes, is a professional boxer. He has been fighting as a heavyweight, and has fought against several contenders, and currently holds a record of 25-5-1.-Overview:...
in New Mexico, who was
not highly regarded in spite of his 22-1-1 record in 2005, arguably the low point of his career.
He then drew with fringe contender Dominick Guinn
Dominick Guinn
Dominick Alexander Guinn, , is an American professional boxer with a record of 33-6-1, with 22 KOs. He is self-managed and he is trained by Ronnie Shields...
, and then was competitive in losing efforts against undefeated prospects Sultan Ibragimov
Sultan Ibragimov
Sultan-Ahmed Magomedsalihovich Ibragimov, is a retired professional boxer and a former WBO heavyweight champion. He is of Avar Dagestani Muslim descent...
(Olympic silver medalist) and 6-0 Olympic Gold medalist Alexander Povetkin
Alexander Povetkin
Alexander Vladimirovich Povetkin is a Russian boxer. He is the current holder of the WBA heavyweight title. His height is . Because of his amateur success, as well as his early pro accomplishments, he is seen as a leading contender in professional boxing's Heavyweight division...
.
In 2007 he rebounded by handing 19-0 New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
prospect Shane Cameron
Shane Cameron
Shane "Mountain Warrior" Cameron is a former 2002 Commonwealth Games bronze medal winner currently competing in the cruiserweight division...
his first loss by knocking him down twice in the 12th and final round, after the second knockdown the referee intervened and stopped the contest, earning him a TKO victory.
In 2008 he stopped another undefeated prospect in Alonzo Butler
Alonzo Butler
Alonzo Butler is an American heavyweight boxer.Massive 6' 3" 250 pound "Big Zo" Butler started boxing in 1997...
.
Friday Lost to David Tua
David Tua
David "Tuamanator" Tua is a New Zealand professional heavyweight boxer, fighting out of South Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.He is a former WBO Asia Pacific and WBO Oriental Heavyweight champion....
in March 2010 in New Zealand via decision. However Friday and his manager claimed Friday should have won, and would have if the fight had been in the USA. After further review it was obvious that David Tua won the fight by unanimous decision.