Richard Commey Used to the Doubt!
On Saturday December 14, Richard “RC” Commey (29-2, 26 KO’s) will defend his IBF world lightweight title against the heavily promoted Teofimo “El Brooklyn” Lopez (14-0, 11 KO’s). Lopez and Commey will test their might with one another on the under-card of Terence Crawford v Egidijus Kavaliauskas.
Both prizefights will air live on ESPN starting at 9:00 PM ET.
HATERS HATING IS NOTHING BUT FUEL FOR THE CHAMP
Although Commey is the champion, and this marks his second title defense, the general perception is that he is the underdog. If stuck in this position, most boxers would make a show of anger or disgust.
This is not the case with RC. Rather than raise his blood pressure or kick up a bunch of dust, the skillful Ghanaian has become accustomed to the doubt of others.
According to Commey, fans and boxing insiders have doubted him for years. With this being the case, the IBF champion does not foresee his reality changing anytime soon. This does not mean that he is not hopeful, or striving for a beneficial alteration in how he is publicly perceived. Nevertheless, Commey is not missing any sleep over the matter.
“A lot of people don’t give me the credit I deserve. I’m kind of used to it. Everybody I fight, they all look down on me. That always give me the motivation to keep working harder and keep praying to god and believing in god.
“Regardless of what people say, even if I win and they don’t give it to me, I am still Richard Commey and I’m still me. Whatever they say I just want to be who I am and be true to myself and keep doing what I am doing.”
FOCUS ON HIS GOALS
In place of worrying himself over the statement and beliefs of his detractors, Commey busies himself with being a faithful devotee to god and his native peoples of Ghana. In his mind, so long as he is true to himself and his homeland, everything will go as it should with his professional career.
“I’m ready! This is what I want. It’s always good to let people say whatever they feel like saying, but come on the night, it’s the real deal!
“The only way I can go back and help my foundation, that’s my people back home who want to be like me, those who want to look up to me to get to where I am or at least to get to somewhere close is by winning this kind of fight.
“And if I can’t, then its ‘who am I going to help?’ No I am doing this to help these people. So I know Africa is behind me, Ghana is behind me and all those kids are behind me.”
By: Bakari Simpson
