As revealed exclusively a few days ago by the Boxe Punch Facebook page, the next opponent of talented Angelo Morejon, who currently holds the Italian Heavyweight Championship, will be Dutch-Ugandan Willy Kyakonye. The two will face each other on October 12 at the Theater Carré in Amsterdam in a crucial fight at the bridgerweight limit (224 pounds, or 101.6 kg), with the winner potentially earning a shot at the WBC World Title in the near future. In this piece, we will provide some additional information about Angelo’s rival.
The background
Willy Kyakonye has a solid amateur background. After taking up competitive boxing in Uganda at the age of 16, he worked his way up the rankings, gaining experience and honing his skills, eventually securing a third-place finish at the 2015 African Championships.
That result opened the doors to the Ugandan national team, allowing him to test his abilities at international level. Kyakonye went on to take part in the World Boxing Series, the team competition that many successful boxers have used as a bridge between the amateur and professional ranks, before unsuccessfully attempting to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
In 2016, just before the second qualifying tournament he was due to take part in, Willy chose to leave his national team’s training camp, which was being held in the Netherlands, and turn professional, settling permanently in the country. He subsequently obtained Dutch citizenship.
Questions over his chin
The very amateur career we have just outlined provides a clue as to what could potentially be one of the powerful Dutch fighter’s Achilles’ heels. Looking at the results of the international bouts Kyakonye took part in before turning professional, we find that he suffered a first-round KO at the hands of Azerbaijan’s Abdulkadir Abdullayev in March 2015, and that a year later he was once again stopped in the opening round, this time by the Cameroonian David Bawah Akankolim via referee stoppage (RSC), eliminating him from the Olympic qualifying tournament in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
It should be kept in mind that these setbacks date back more than ten years and that, in the meantime, the Ugandan-born boxer has certainly had the opportunity to mature significantly from a technical, physical and psychological standpoint. Nevertheless, those two early stoppages do raise questions about his ability to take a punch.
A disguised southpaw?
If a less-than-exceptional chin could be one of Kyakonye’s weaknesses — and the conditional is essential here — his physical strength, reach and power are undoubtedly among his most valuable assets. Willy has a powerful muscular build and a physique seemingly carved out of stone. According to BoxRec, he stands 198 centimetres tall. That figure should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt, however, because watching video of Kyakonye’s most recent victory over Tomas Salek, whom BoxRec lists at 192 centimetres, gives the impression that the two fighters are roughly the same height. Either way, Morejon will certainly not be facing a small opponent on October 12.
Of Willy’s 14 professional victories, no fewer than 13 have come inside the distance, confirming the offensive threat he represents. His left hook is particularly dangerous: last October, it allowed him to knock out the previously unbeaten German Renke Wittke in a matter of seconds.
His tendency to rely heavily on his lead hand, repeatedly throwing left hooks — sometimes in succession — combined with less-than-exceptional coordination when using his right hand, raises the suspicion that he may actually be a natural southpaw fighting out of an orthodox stance.
A preference for a “stationary target”
Watching Kyakonye fight gives the impression of a classic boxer who leaves everyone stunned by the explosiveness and ferocity of his punches when working the heavy bag in the gym, but who then loses some of those qualities when forced to direct his shots at a moving target.
The Dutch boxer appears rather planted on his feet and tends to lose his coordination when attempting to bring down an opponent who is unwilling to stand still in front of him. His tendency to “fall in” with his punches, leaving himself dangerously exposed, is particularly pronounced when Kyakonye uses his right hand, causing him to overbalance and occasionally ending up flat-footed. In boxing, that is a vulnerable position and one that should be avoided like the plague.
Charitable work
As we bring this article to a close, we feel it is both appropriate and important to praise Willy Kyakonye for his willingness to engage in charitable activities alongside his dual role as a professional boxer and amateur boxing coach. According to his personal website, Willy runs a training course for people affected by Parkinson’s disease and regularly contributes to the annual “Knokken met je hart” event, which is dedicated to fighting congenital heart defects in children.
As the fight between Willy Kyakonye and Angelo Morejon approaches, Boxe Punch will publish a detailed analysis of what could unfold in the ring on the evening of October 12.