Ovill McKenzie
Encyclopedia
Ovill McKenzie is a Jamaican professional boxer fighting out of Derby
in England
; he competes primarily in the light heavyweight
division but has also fought at cruiserweight. He was the winner of the seventh Prizefighter
tournament and is a two time holder of the Commonwealth
light heavyweight title.
the home of Bristol City
. He followed this victory up 10 April 2003, with a win over Welshman Nathan King
in Wales
. However, three straight defeats followed his initial winning start and he registered losses to Pinky Burton, Peter Haymer and Courtney Fry before finishing 2003 with a victory over Edwin Cleary to finish his inaugural year as a pro, with a record of 3-3.
His second year of professional boxing saw another set of mixed results, fighting five times in 2004 he lost of three occasions albeit to some significant opposition which included the likes of future WBO super middleweight champion Denis Inkin
, future WBA
light heavyweight champion Stipe Drews and future double English title challenger Tommy Eastwood. One significant result during the year however saw him score a shock upset win over the then undefeated English champion Steven Spartacus in a fight which was only over six rounds and did not have the title on the line.
, Gyorgy Hidvegi in the fight before. McKenzie's reign as champion would not last long as he lost the belt on 9 February 2007, in his first defence to Dean Francis after being knocked out in the first round. McKenzie regrouped from the defeat with a win against undefeated Mark Nilsen in his next fight but then lost once more to Tony Salem at the Doncaster Dome on 19 October 2007.
Indoor Sports Center on 17 April 2009. On 19 May 2009, he moved up a weight to cruiserweight and scored a victory in the seventh installment of the Prizefighter
tournament. With only two weeks notice, McKenzie entered the competition after one of the original boxers, Mark Krence was forced to withdraw through injury. He defeated former European champion Terry Dunstan in the first round, former Commonwealth and Irish champion Darren Corbett
in the semi-final, and former British champion John Keeton
in the final to take the main prize of £25,000.
had already made one successful defence against common opponent Bob Ajisafe, winning a hard fought fight over 12 rounds. McKenzie managed to put the champion down in both the first and second rounds, before Bellew began to take over in the later rounds with the fight eventually being stopped in the eighth resulting in a 10th career defeat for McKenzie. The two met once again on 16 July 2011 at the same venue with the fight this time lasting the full 12 rounds and with the vacant British title also being on the line with Bellew winning once again although this time via 12 round decision. McKenzie fought for the Commonwealth title once again on 11 November 2011 after Tony Bellew
vacated the belt beating Welsh champion Jeff Evans in just 15 seconds. The win, in Halifax, meant that McKenzie lifted the title for the second time in his career to become a two time champion having won the title for the first time in 2006.
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
; he competes primarily in the light heavyweight
Light heavyweight
In boxing, the light heavyweight is a weight division above 168 pounds [12 Stone or 76.204 kilograms] and up to 175 pounds [12.5 stone or 79.38 kilograms]), falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight...
division but has also fought at cruiserweight. He was the winner of the seventh Prizefighter
Prizefighter series
The Prizefighter series is a knock out boxing tournament created by boxing promoter Barry Hearn and aired on Sky Sports. The format has an initial eight fighters, who compete in four quarter-finals of 3 x 3 minute rounds followed by two semi-finals and one final all on the same night...
tournament and is a two time holder of the Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
light heavyweight title.
Professional career
McKenzie's professional career begun on 6 March 2003, with a victory over fellow debutant Leigh Alliss at Ashton GateAshton Gate
Ashton Gate Stadium is a stadium in Ashton Gate, Bristol, England, and is the home of Bristol City F.C. Located in the south-west of the city, just south of the River Avon, it has an all-seated capacity of 21,497, with an effective capacity for football matches of around 19,500, with an average...
the home of Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
. He followed this victory up 10 April 2003, with a win over Welshman Nathan King
Nathan King
Nathan King is a pop/rock singer-songwriter from Christchurch, New Zealand.-History:King's musical career began with his band Zed who released two multi-platinum albums Silencer and This Little Empire...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. However, three straight defeats followed his initial winning start and he registered losses to Pinky Burton, Peter Haymer and Courtney Fry before finishing 2003 with a victory over Edwin Cleary to finish his inaugural year as a pro, with a record of 3-3.
His second year of professional boxing saw another set of mixed results, fighting five times in 2004 he lost of three occasions albeit to some significant opposition which included the likes of future WBO super middleweight champion Denis Inkin
Denis Inkin
Denis Inkin is a German based Russian professional boxer who fights in the Super-Middleweight division.-Amateur career:...
, future WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
light heavyweight champion Stipe Drews and future double English title challenger Tommy Eastwood. One significant result during the year however saw him score a shock upset win over the then undefeated English champion Steven Spartacus in a fight which was only over six rounds and did not have the title on the line.
Commonwealth champion
Over the course of 2005 and 2006, McKenzie was able to maintain an eight fight winning run culminating in a successful challenge against Peter Haymer for the vacant Commonwealth light heavyweight title on 24 November 2006. The run also saw McKenzie register a win over undefeated Courtney Fry on 13 May 2005, and take the unbeaten record from HungarianHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Gyorgy Hidvegi in the fight before. McKenzie's reign as champion would not last long as he lost the belt on 9 February 2007, in his first defence to Dean Francis after being knocked out in the first round. McKenzie regrouped from the defeat with a win against undefeated Mark Nilsen in his next fight but then lost once more to Tony Salem at the Doncaster Dome on 19 October 2007.
Prizefighter win
McKenzie returned to action a year and a half later following the loss to Salem only to once again drop a close points decision this time to Bob Ajisafe at the LeighLeigh, Greater Manchester
Leigh is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Wigan, and west of Manchester. Leigh is situated on low lying land to the north west of Chat Moss....
Indoor Sports Center on 17 April 2009. On 19 May 2009, he moved up a weight to cruiserweight and scored a victory in the seventh installment of the Prizefighter
Prizefighter series
The Prizefighter series is a knock out boxing tournament created by boxing promoter Barry Hearn and aired on Sky Sports. The format has an initial eight fighters, who compete in four quarter-finals of 3 x 3 minute rounds followed by two semi-finals and one final all on the same night...
tournament. With only two weeks notice, McKenzie entered the competition after one of the original boxers, Mark Krence was forced to withdraw through injury. He defeated former European champion Terry Dunstan in the first round, former Commonwealth and Irish champion Darren Corbett
Darren Corbett
Darren Corbett , nicknamed Raging Bull, is a Northern Irish professional boxer. Corbett's weight fluctuated significantly throughout his career and although he had some fights at both heavyweight and light-heavyweight, the bulk of his contests and his success came at cruiserweight.-Amateur:Corbett...
in the semi-final, and former British champion John Keeton
John Keeton
John 'Buster' Keeton is a British professional boxer fighting out of Sheffield in England, he competes in the cruiserweight division and is a former British cruiserweight champion and three time British title challenger....
in the final to take the main prize of £25,000.
Title fights
McKenzie followed up his success on the Prizefighter with a win over Billy Boyle on 5 February 2010 before, on 9 December 2010, earning a challenge for his old Commonwealth light heavyweight title at the Echo Arena in Liverpool. The champion, Tony BellewTony Bellew
Tony Bellew is a British professional boxer and a former three time ABA Heavyweight Champion. He is promoted by Frank Warren, trains out of Arnie's gym in Manchester and is the reigning Commonwealth light heavyweight champion.-Amateur career:...
had already made one successful defence against common opponent Bob Ajisafe, winning a hard fought fight over 12 rounds. McKenzie managed to put the champion down in both the first and second rounds, before Bellew began to take over in the later rounds with the fight eventually being stopped in the eighth resulting in a 10th career defeat for McKenzie. The two met once again on 16 July 2011 at the same venue with the fight this time lasting the full 12 rounds and with the vacant British title also being on the line with Bellew winning once again although this time via 12 round decision. McKenzie fought for the Commonwealth title once again on 11 November 2011 after Tony Bellew
Tony Bellew
Tony Bellew is a British professional boxer and a former three time ABA Heavyweight Champion. He is promoted by Frank Warren, trains out of Arnie's gym in Manchester and is the reigning Commonwealth light heavyweight champion.-Amateur career:...
vacated the belt beating Welsh champion Jeff Evans in just 15 seconds. The win, in Halifax, meant that McKenzie lifted the title for the second time in his career to become a two time champion having won the title for the first time in 2006.