* in battle of undefeated Monday night*
Nothing comes easy for EMMANUEL LARTEI LARTEY, the undefeated (15-0-0, 7 KO's) welterweight southpaw strongman from Accra, Ghana now fighting out of The Bronx, New York.
According to his manager, Eric O. Darko, an New York City immigration attorney who has committed his resources in the pursuit of opportunity for his boxer, "Every matchmaker I've spoken to over the past two years wants to put Emmanuel in with nothing but stone-cold killers but when I accept they withdraw their offers, making it incredibly difficult for us to secure bouts," he says.
"This time, however, we accepted Olympian Errol Spence after much back-and-forth with Spence's representative and they didn't withdraw although it was touch-and-go there for a while. Listen, nobody in their right mind wants to fight Emmanuel. And why should they? "
Apparently, Spence does. The former Olympian is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and is already 8-0-0, 7 KO's, fighting often in various states including Texas, Florida, California and Nevada. He's on a fast track for stardom but the question remains, did he and his team underestimate Lartey?
"I'm going to beat Spence at his own game," says Lartey after sparring with California middleweight Chris Chatman at Gleason's gym in Brooklyn, New York two weeks prior to his bout.
“I beat both Michael Anderson and Jonathan Batista in their backyards (New Jersey) this past year and combined, they were 25-1. When the going gets rough, I get going."
Trained by Harry Keitt and Jihad Abdul-Aziz, Lartey is a tireless and dedicated boxer with a family to feed back home in Ghana. He knows that a win against Spence on national television (Fox Sports 1 on Monday, October 14, 2013) and before a live audience at the BB & T Center in Sunrise, Florida will gain him the attention he deserves.
"And maybe I'll be offered a lesser opponent next time," he says. "Not that it really matters but why should I be treated any differently than the other up-and-coming undefeated boxers?"
"When Emmanuel beats Errol Spence, it is my hope that Golden Boy Promotions recognizes his talent and keeps us busy, especially at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn where they run quite often," adds manager Darko.
"We're unattached but a marriage is not out of the question. And if they want us to fight in Las Vegas, Nevada or Carson, California or any of the other places where Golden Boy stages events, we're ready to accommodate them. Isn't that what we've been doing anyway?"
What: Undefeated welterweights EMMANUEL LARTEY versus ERROL SPENCE
When: MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2013
Where: BB & T CENTER, SUNRISE, FLORIDA
TV: FOX SPORTS 1