

Olaniyan: Chvarkou finish shows I'm 'levels above' rival prospects
1 hour ago
2 min read
Heavyweight prospect Adam Olaniyan believes he made a statement with his second-round stoppage victory over Viktar Chvarkou last weekend.
Olaniyan (2-0, 2 KOs) was always going to beat the Kazakh veteran but did it in no-nonsense, comprehensive fashion. The 20-year-old Irishman jumped on Chvarkou from the opening bell and dropped him heavily as the round ended, before finishing the job midway through round two.
In stopping Chvarkou, the European and World Youth amateur champion succeeded where a whole host of British fighters - including his fellow prospect, Leo Atang - had failed.
Of course, comparing young heavyweights during the formative stages of their careers is a completely pointless exercise but as far as one-sided blowouts go, it was extremely impressive.
"Us heavyweights, that's what we do. We knock people out. So, I didn't see it going any other way," Olaniyan told Queensberry after the fight.
"They said, "You could take another easy one. You can take somebody who's had more losses and less wins and who isn’t as experienced" but I said, "No, I want to test myself”.
"I'm an amateur world champion and want to show that I'm levels above these other prospects."
Olaniyan will be kept busy and returns to action on August 1 when boxing on the undercard of the eagerly-anticipated junior welterweight fight between Pierce O'Leary and Mark Chamberlain at home in Dublin, Ireland.
"I'm looking forward to it. It's always good to be back home," he said. "I was home for a couple of days last month, it was good to breathe in the Irish air again and I'm looking forward to it.
"There's nothing better than being in Dublin, being with my family and fighting at home.”
Olaniyan's promoter Frank Warren was delighted with the showing and it looks like he has another exciting piece of the heavyweight jigsaw.
Queensberry have a solid grip on all things heavyweight at the moment but Warren has been quietly accumulating an exciting roster of young fighters and ensuring that he has a succession plan ready to roll out when giant figures like The Ring champion Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder retire.
Olaniyan is still extremely young but is a personable character and seemingly enjoys the boxing business inside and outside of the ropes.
Keeping Olaniyan in touch with his Dublin fans will be absolutely crucial. As long as he continues to learn and improve, he should be able to easily galvanize the fanatical Irish support and that could pay rich dividends on both sides of the Atlantic.
"I'm telling you, he'll be a big star," Warren said on DAZN after the fight.
"He did what young heavyweights should do. He went out and got rid of the guy. A tough opponent who's only ever been stopped once and this is his [Olaniyan's] second fight.
"He went about his work and they were good shots. He's done it in a very, very good fashion and the work rate was phenomenal.
"I'm telling you, he's going to go places."
The Gerbasi Corner honors longtime Ring Magazine and boxing contributor Tom Gerbasi, who passed away suddenly on Sept. 15, 2025. A 2024 Nat Fleischer Award winner for excellence in boxing journalism, Gerbasi took particular joy in telling the stories of up-and-coming and unheralded prospects in the sport.
Gerbasi's Corner

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Adam Olaniyan, the Irish heavyweight sensation tipped for superstardom
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