British Cruiserweight Prospect Deion Jumah turns pro with Sauerland
--Team Sauerland is pleased to announce the signing of British amateur star Deion Jumah.
A two-time ABA cruiserweight champion and former England international, Jumah will be joining a stable of cruiserweight champions including Marco Huck (WBO), Yoan Pablo Hernandez (IBF) and Mateusz Masternak (European).
Boxing out of London's famous Dale Youth Amateur Boxing Club, which amongst others has produced Commonwealth super-middleweight champion George Groves and former European super-middleweight champion James DeGale, Jumah has already amassed an impressive amateur record (22-1, 13 KOs).
''At this stage of his career he is as good as anyone I have ever trained, including Groves and DeGale,'' said Mick Delaney, Head Coach at Dale Youth ABC. ''He has got everything going for him and can definitely go a long way.''
Having spurned the advances of a number of British promoters, Jumah has opted to sign with Team Sauerland. ''I met Nisse Sauerland in London and we got on really well,'' said the 23-year-old. ''I grew up watching Sauerland fights. As a cruiserweight I always followed boxing on the European scene as the division is stronger there than in the UK or US. It is an honour to think that I can now be a part of that.''
The powerful southpaw is relishing the unique opportunity he will be given at Team Sauerland. ''A lot of fighters do not get the chance to travel until later in their career and it can come as a shock to their system,'' said Jumah. ''From the beginning of my career I will be fighting all over the world and at home in the UK. I will be gaining valuable experience which will help me become a worldwide star.''
Jumah remains unfazed by the prospect of turning professional. ''I think my style is more suited to professional boxing,'' he remarked. ''I enjoy big crowds and a big ring. Even as an amateur I always went for the big shots and stoppages. I love fighting, this is who I am and this is what I am made to do.''
Promoter Nisse Sauerland has no doubts over Jumah's ability. ''We hit it off from the moment we met and as soon as I saw him fight in the ABAs I knew he could go all the way,'' said Sauerland. ''I aim to keep him as busy as possible over the next few years and have him fighting all over the world. Deion is a promoter's dream and I am sure we are looking at a future world champion.''
Jumah is set to make his professional debut on February 9 as part of Team Sauerland's Nordic Fight Night series at Blue Water Dokken in Esbjerg, Denmark. In the main event of the evening, 21-year-old Danish star Patrick Nielsen (17-0, 8 KOs) will make the third defence of his WBA Intercontinental Middleweight Title.
Didn't know a lot about this guy so done some research as this decision really intrigued me. So he's only had 23 amateur fights as mentioned (22-1 with 13 KO's) and he's only been boxing 3 years apparently but is already a 2-time ABA champion at 86kg and he's been a part of the GB developmental squad.
Sounsd like one to keep an eye on, especially as he seems smart enough to sign with Sauerland where he'll be a part of a strong cruiserweight set-up. The division is obviously a lot stronger in mainland Europe than over here as he says, so boxing out of Germany he probably puts himself in a position to gain a fair bit of exposure early on, not to mention he's going to get top quality sparring against the likes of Hernandez, Masternak and to a lesser extent, Huck. And he'll be boxing away from home out of his comfort zone so he'll learn to deal with that too.
Can't see much wrong with this decision, athough if Matchroom were interested, they'd maybe keep him more active early and he'd be able to build a brand at home. Does concern me a bit that if he takes off he could be another Ola Afolabi - world-class or thereabouts but largely unknown in his own country. Although with Sauerland, they should be able to build the brand better than Afolabi was able to do at the start of his career.
Never seen him fight, but certainly looking forward to his pro debut in February and hopefully they get him out 6-7 times at least his first year. I'm hopeful that they'll chuck him out in the UK on other promoter's bills a few times given Nisse Saureland's comment about 'keeping him busy and having him box all over the world'.
1 - 2 of 8 Posts
1 - 2 of 8 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Boxing Forums
A forum community dedicated to Boxing fans and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about weigh-ins, matches, rankings, fighting styles, training, live fights, reviews, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Recommended Communities
