Isaac Okoh is not travelling to Sofia to make up the numbers.
The 23-year-old Team GB 90kg fighter arrives at the European Championships with Commonwealth gold already secured, an impressive run of international form behind him and, perhaps most importantly, the belief that he belongs among the very best fighters in Europe.
Okoh’s confidence is understandable. Since last year’s World Championships, he has been one of the busiest fighters on the international circuit, boxing 17 times and suffering just one defeat. Along the way he has shared the ring with some of the biggest names in the division, including Olympic silver medallist Loren Alfonso, who Okoh defeated by unanimous decision.
Now he wants European gold.
“I feel like I’m on a really good run at the minute,” Okoh told Irish Boxing Digest. “I’m in top form, confidence is through the roof. I’ve boxed a lot since the World Championships last year really. I think I’ve had about 17 fights and lost one.”
The victory over Alfonso was particularly significant. Beating an Olympic silver medallist is one thing; doing it unanimously gives a fighter an entirely different level of confidence heading into a major championship.
For Okoh, it was further proof that he can operate at the highest level.
“I boxed the Olympic silver medallist and I won unanimously, which just gives you another confidence boost and makes you realise what sort of level that I’m competing at.”
There have been setbacks, but they have done little to dent his belief. Earlier this year he narrowly lost a 3-2 split decision to Olympic bronze medallist, Emmanuel Reyes of Spain, in what was a closely contested fight. Rather than viewing the defeat as a sign that he has work to do to reach the elite, Okoh sees it as evidence that he is already there.
“I boxed the Spanish bronze medallist at the start of the year and lost out on a 3-2 split. Very close fight,” he said. “So, you know, I’m mixing it with the best.”
That belief will now be put to the test in Sofia.
And there is no disguising Okoh’s ambition.
“Gold is the only medal that we ever look for at any competition,” he said. “Obviously winning European gold is another massive achievement to put onto the list.”
From his father’s footsteps to the Commonwealth Gold
The road to this point began long before Okoh pulled on a Team GB vest.
Boxing was effectively in the family. His father, Chris Okoh, was a professional boxer who had already enjoyed success in the amateur ranks before becoming a Commonwealth and European champion as a professional. Isaac grew up around the sport and eventually followed his father through the doors of a boxing gym.
Growing up in Gravesend, Essex, Okoh began his journey with Gateway ABC before moving to Chadwell St Mary and then Dagenham. He now trains under Lewis Passfield at Thurrock ABC.
There was no grand plan at the beginning. He simply wanted to box and discover how far he could go.
“I got into boxing through my dad, who was a pro boxer, decent amateur. He was Commonwealth and European champion as a pro. So just followed in his footsteps really,” Okoh explained.
“I started boxing competitively when I was about 15. But yeah, just sort of got in the gym, see how far I could go. And now we’re here.”
Where he is now is a long way from simply seeing how far boxing could take him.
He is on the GB squad and this year he stood on top of the podium at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow after fulfilling a dream that had been in his mind since he first started boxing.
Being selected for the Commonwealth Games was an achievement in itself. Winning the tournament made it something far more special.
“Being selected for the Commonwealth Games was a dream of mine since I started boxing really, and a really proud moment” he said.
“And then competing at the Games and winning a gold medal is a lifelong dream come true, filled with pride. My family and my friends were there to celebrate the moment with me. So yeah, really proud moment for me and really, really good achievement.”
Now Okoh wants to build on it.
Familiar FOES and unfinished business
The European Championships will bring another group of elite fighters into his path, but there is a familiarity about some of the potential match-ups.
Okoh has already faced several of the men he believes are among the strongest in the division. Azerbaijan’s Alfonso, Spain’s Reyes and Sohed Bouafia of France, a fighter who defeated him in Kazakhstan all feature prominently on his radar.
And the Frenchman represents unfinished business.
“There’s a French guy who I lost to in Kazakhstan. So looking to get revenge there,” Okoh said.
His assessment of the European field is telling. He believes there are four fighters who currently stand above the rest — and he has already boxed the other three.
That experience has only strengthened his confidence.
“I feel like we’re the top four in Europe. And I’ve boxed the other three and had some good decisions. So yeah, I’m confident that I can come out on top.”
For a fighter heading into a major championship, that confidence could prove invaluable. Okoh isn’t walking into Sofia wondering whether he belongs at this level. His recent results have already answered that question.
The European Championships will be about proving he can go one step further than simply competing with the best.
LA 2028 is already in sight
European gold is the immediate target, but there is an even bigger prize driving Okoh forward.
Los Angeles 2028.
The Olympic Games remain the ultimate ambition, and with the first qualifiers beginning next year, the dream is no longer some distant possibility. If everything continues to go to plan, Okoh could be in the Olympic qualification picture within the next 12 months.
“Yeah, the Olympics is definitely the final goal,” he said. “You know all the boxing that we’ve done over the past few years all leads up to the Olympic Games.”
“The first qualifier starts next year. So this time next year could be qualified and on my way to the Olympics.”
That is the destination.
But first comes Sofia.
For now, the Commonwealth champion has his eyes firmly fixed on another major championship and another gold medal. His recent form, his experience against top international opposition and his victory over an Olympic silver medallist have given him every reason to believe he can challenge for the European title.
The boy who once walked into a gym simply to see how far he could go is now standing on the verge of something much bigger.
European championship Gold.
And, potentially, an Olympian in waiting.
“Hopefully I can keep boxing how I am at the minute and I can turn the dream into reality.”
For Isaac Okoh, the dream is getting closer.
And Sofia is the next step.
IRISH BOXING DIGEST 
Leave a comment