Nigeria’s Joshua Oluwaseun Wahab has vowed to bounce back following a devastating first-round KO loss to Mark Chamberlain on Saturday night.
WBO Africa Super Featherweight champion Wahab was dismantled and dismissed in quick fashion by Chamberlain on the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk undercard, which took place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
It was a significant step up in class for Wahab who previously lost to the last Brit he faced, a 12-round points loss to Liam Dillon in September 2022. This bout was for the WBC silver lightweight belt. Wahab’s high hopes met reality early on as a straight left dropped the Ghana-based boxer. Wahab rose on wobbly legs and never appeared to seriously recover from the shot.
Chamberlain maneuvered the shaky Wahab to the ropes, where three more power shots nearly drove him out of the ring. He crumpled to the canvas as referee Lee Every mercifully stepped in to stop the action at 2:42 of the first round.
A dazed Wahab (23-2, 16 KOs) required oxygen immediately after the fight to ensure he was fine. Following the bout, Wahab posted on X, “Alihamduliah to all my lovely African brothers and sisters. It’s rather unfortunate I couldn’t make you proud.
“I just want you all to know am doing fine and I will bounce back stronger. Thank you #DiBellaEnt for the great opportunity.”
Whether he gets another one remains to be seen. The loss, if anything, shows that Wahab is simply not a contender for a world title in that weight class. At 33, his best days may be behind him and, worse yet, those best days don’t appear to be good enough.
Chamberlain said he had expected a better performance from his Nigerian foe but what was left stunned as the fight ended in the first round.
“I thought I was in for a hard night but look what I have just done in the first round,” Chamberlain told TNT Sports Box Office.
“He (Wahab) was out on his feet, I then thought I had to be a bit wary, but the second (punch) blew him away.
“I hope to be back in Riyadh to keep pushing on and pleasing. I want to keep winning.”
“That was fifteen out of ten,” Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren said of his rising contender.
