By Ian S Palmer
Two unbeaten boxers will be going at it at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York on Oct. 20 when interim WBO Middleweight Champion Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam takes on Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin for the full title belt. N’Jikam hails from Cameroon, Africa and is now fighting out of Paris, France, while Quillin was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The 29-year-old Quillin has 20 knockouts in his 27 wins and the 28-year-old N’Jikam has 17 KOs in his 27 victories. Quillin will be fighting in familiar territory though as he lived in Brooklyn for four years before leaving to set up shop in Manhattan. Quillin is thankful for the title shot and said it’s quite a step up in his career considering that four years ago he was sleeping on the floor. He said he respects N’Jikam, especially for putting the championship on the lime in Quillin’s old stomping ground of Brooklyn.
Quillin made his pro boxing debut in 2005 and has wins over some solid opposition since then. These include beating former world champion Ronald ‘Winky’ Wright by a 10-round unanimous decision in June of this year and stopping Craig McEwan in the sixth round last November. Quillin also has wins over Antwun Echols, Jesse Brinkley, and Fernando Zuniga.
N’Jikam turned pro a year earlier in 2004, but he hasn’t fought any recognizable boxers, at least to European and North American fans. His toughest opponents so far have been Omar Weiss, Giovanni Lorenzo, Gennaddy Martirosyan, Autandil Khurtsidze, and Max Bursak. Quillin has definitely fought the tougher opponents and should have an edge because of it. This will be N’Jikam’s first bout in North America.
Quillin managed to outbox a master when he beat Winky Wright in the summer. Yes, Wright is past his peak as a boxer, but Quillin looked impressive both as a boxer and a power puncher. He should have gained some valuable experience in that fight as well as confidence and they’ll both help him once the bell rings to start the fight this Saturday night.
N’Jikam knows his way around a boxing ring though, and has pretty good skills. If he’s lacking anywhere, then it’s in the power-punching department. If he can’t hurt Quillin with his best shots then the American is going to be hard to handle. Quillin is a pretty accurate puncher and he doesn’t waste many shots. He’s not one to panic and is good at breaking down the opposition round by round. To win the title, Quillin will have to cut off the ring and win rounds with his boxing skills and snapping punches.
N’Jikam should be using his superior footwork as a way to stay out of harm’s way, but sooner or later he’ll have to stand his ground and trade shots. At the end of the night Quillin should have done enough to emerge from the ring with the title belt around his waist.
