{"id":918983,"date":"2026-10-03T11:08:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T11:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/918983\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T11:08:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T11:08:16","slug":"odel-kamara-i-want-to-be-the-greatest-of-all-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/918983\/","title":{"rendered":"Odel Kamara: \u2018I want to be the greatest of all time\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Learn More<\/a>\"Tom<\/a>Add BoxingScene on Google\"\"\"OdelMatchroom Boxing\u2514Odel Kamara is making the switch from world class amateur competition to professional boxing with Matchroom<\/p>\n

BIRMINGHAM, England \u2013 All eyes will be on Ben Whittaker this Saturday as he takes on Conor Wallace in front of a large crowd at Birmingham\u2019s BP Pulse LIVE, however, a young man making his debut in the chief support may just steal the show.<\/p>\n

That man would be Odel Kamara, the 22-year-old junior middleweight from Liverpool, England, who had the world\u2019s leading promoters digging deep into their pockets to secure his signature. The battle of the chequebooks was won by Eddie Hearn\u2019s Matchroom Boxing and they presented Kamara to the world with a comical sketch on Hearn\u2019s private yacht. <\/p>\n

Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Josh Kelly set for unification ‘in December or early January’<\/p>\n

The sketch, although funny, did not display the seriousness of the acquisition that Matchroom had made. There was a reason the Amateur World Championships bronze medallist had promoters and managers circling. Kamara is a rarity in modern boxing, an unconventional puncher with frightening speed, reflexes, charisma, and the right attitude to go along with it.<\/p>\n

Even I, a former stablemate of Kamara\u2019s during our years training at the famous Salisbury ABC in Liverpool, experienced first hand the raw talent of the youngster. There was always a buzz around him, even since Kamara was knee-high. Crowds gathered to watch him spar, and when you were called up to go rounds with him you\u2019d pray he’d be in a good mood. As gifted as Kamara was, he was always first in the gym.<\/p>\n

The excitement and buzz around Kamara that started then has only grown, and there is an expectation from Hearn and fans that we will see the birth of a new star of British boxing.<\/p>\n

That is a lot of pressure to place on a 22-year-old\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I’m just taking it all in at the moment,\u201d Kamara told BoxingScene. \u201cI’m loving every second of it and I just want to show the world and show everybody what I’m about and the hard work I’ve put in to get to this stage. I’ve said it all day today: pressure makes diamonds. I’m going to shine like a diamond come Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone knows already I can whack, so I think you’re going to see me put this guy out early and perform for the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kamara’s arrival in the professional ranks has meant letting go of another ambition. As long as I\u2019ve known Kamara Olympic gold was always the target, but his controversial defeat at the 2025 World Championships left him questioning whether another three years in the amateur system was a gamble worth taking.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took a lot of hard thinking and decision-making, but I think from that moment when it all went wrong, I was like, \u2018I don’t go nowhere to lose. I’m nobody’s second place. I go to win,\u2019\u201d he admitted. \u201cI thought, \u2018If I can’t get the right decisions here, I’m going to have to go and get them somewhere else.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Walking away also meant accepting that the Olympic dream he had carried since childhood was over.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, but at the end of the day I want to provide for my family and it’s what I do boxing for. I’m a prize fighter, so I want to get paid for my efforts and I want to entertain properly and get recognised for it. That’s what the world stage and professional boxing stage can do for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kamara is clearly not short on confidence, and why should he be? He has been fighting all his life, first lacing up the gloves at three-years-old as a kick boxer before pursuing boxing. It is all Kamara has known, and when he is finished with the sport he hopes his name is forever intertwined with it, much like the greats that have come before him.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I want] nothing less than people putting me in the G.O.A.T. status,\u201d said Kamara with his chest. \u201cI want to be the greatest of all time. I wouldn’t be boxing if I didn’t think I can become that with hard work and dedication. So hopefully one day people speak of me highly with their names.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kamara may want to be one of the greats, however, there is no rush to get there.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I don’t think I’m very far away, but the way Eddie Hearn’s set out the plan and the way Sam [Jones, my manager] has set out the plan, is we’re going to do this very sensibly,\u201d he said. \u201cWe’re going to build my name first, and go through all the ranks. I want area titles, I want to get everything before I start putting myself on that main stage. So, yeah, we’re going to take it sensibly. <\/p>\n

\u201cEverything’s got to be planned out to perfection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kamara may be taking his time at reaching the top, but he understands the division he is in, and the names that could be there when he is eventually let off the leash..<\/p>\n

\u201cI’d love to fight Ryan Garcia one day,\u201d Kamara said. \u201cI think that’d be a crazy showdown. Scouser versus Mexican-American, you know what I mean? And then we’ve got Jaron \u2018Boots\u2019 Ennis out there, and Crawford. Crawford just because I love him. He’s one of my favourite boxers of all time. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo to get in the ring with any of these guys would be an honour and a privilege, but I’d be putting it on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garcia, Ennis and Crawford may be targets for another day. For now, Kamara’s considerable ambitions have to start somewhere.<\/p>\n

On Saturday night in Birmingham, they start with fight No. 1.<\/p>\n

\"Tom<\/p>\n

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David Benavidez has no shortage of HUGE fights on his radar. In an exclusive interview with BoxingScene, Jose Benavidez Sr. makes it clear that David still wants the biggest names at 175lbs including Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. Benavidez has previously said those are two fights he wants to make as he pursues more titles and major challenges. But there\u2019s another name that could make things very interesting: Andy Ruiz Jr. Jose discusses the possibility of an all-Mexican showdown between Benavidez and the former heavyweight champion, along with David\u2019s plans across multiple divisions. And with a potential Jai Opetaia showdown also building after the pair came face-to-face following Opetaia\u2019s latest victory, Benavidez has some massive options ahead.<\/p>\n

\"David<\/p>\n

David Benavidez’s cruiserweight unification expected to be shifted off December 12<\/p>\n

Ray Close, former world title challenger, dies aged 57Eddie Hearn reveals extent of Anthony Joshua’s pay cut for fighting Tyson Fury in UKDenzel Bentley’s Zuffa fight with Shane Mosley Jnr not close to being WBO title bout Odel Kamara: \u2018I want to be the greatest of all time\u2019 Paulie Malignaggi and Victor Ortiz to meet in bare knuckle match on December 5Diego Pacheco looks to vault to title fight in Darius Fulghum showdownStill waiting for his shot, WBO mandatory contender Charly Suarez being celebrated in his homelandCanelo Alvarez has held talks about staging his last fight at the Estadio Azteca in MexicoMikkel Kessler, 47, announces comeback: ‘This is not a stunt or a gimmick’<\/p>\n

David Benavidez vs Andy Ruiz Jr?! Jose Benavidez Sr. REVEALS Huge Fight Plans<\/p>\n

David Benavidez has no shortage of HUGE fights on his radar. In an exclusive interview with BoxingScene, Jose Benavidez Sr. makes it clear that David still wants the biggest names at 175lbs including Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. Benavidez has previously said those are two fights he wants to make as he pursues more titles and major challenges. But there\u2019s another name that could make things very interesting: Andy Ruiz Jr. Jose discusses the possibility of an all-Mexican showdown between Benavidez and the former heavyweight champion, along with David\u2019s plans across multiple divisions. And with a potential Jai Opetaia showdown also building after the pair came face-to-face following Opetaia\u2019s latest victory, Benavidez has some massive options ahead.<\/p>\n

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