I’d like to thank Obaro Eradajaye for taking the time to sit down for this interview. This is the first interview I’ve conducted and I couldn’t be more excited to share Obaro’s perspective on the sport.
This interview was conducted through message; all responses are as-written by Obaro except where brackets indicate minor changes to help reader understanding.
For those who aren’t familiar with you, would you be able to share a bit about yourself? Where you’re from, your age, record, weight class, and anything else we should know about you as a fighter or as a person?
“My name is Obaro Eradajaye. I am twenty-five years old and currently 4-0 (4 KOs) officially. I fight at 175 lbs but that’s my walk around weight and I can fight at 168 [lbs], 175 [lbs], or even cruiserweight after one meal. [I am] 6’4.5” [with an] 81” reach. I am fighting out of [the village of Warri] Nigeria, will be the first African-born undisputed champion in the four belt era, and plan on giving the people what they truly desire, the best versus the best and entertaining fights.”
When did you start boxing and what made you want to start?
“I started boxing around two years ago after some friends introduced me to the sport. I have always been a fighter. One on one, me versus five guys, and more were a regular thing in my life from when I was a little boy back in Warri. Fighting was something I have always been good at and done. I enjoy fighting. It’s a passion of mine. And I love competing. Competition makes me excited. What made me want to start was watching warriors like Deontay Wilder go out there and go to war to provide for their family. That inspired me and it made me want to box. I love the sport. The art. And being a father myself, I have always tried my best to give my family, my kids, the best life I can. And through my passion I have a chance to do that.”
Did you have any amateur experience or did you start out with your first professional fight?
“Yes. I have amateur experience. I had around seventy-one fights in the amateurs. Finished every opponent except one guy in the amateurs. I fought often. I was fighting the national team here often. As a 175 lb. fighter I was fighting guys at 175 [lbs], 200 [lbs], and even heavyweights during my amateur [bouts]. Fought every one. [From] former Olympians from here to African games winners and more. I lost one amateur fight which was via a controversial decision. I dropped the guy five times in the nationals and the judges gave him the fight. After that I went pro.”
I haven't seen that controversial amateur loss, but that sounds crazy that you were able to drop him five times and still lost. How do you deal with challenges like that?
“It is what it is. There is nothing I can do. What’s done is done. It was my fault for leaving it in the hands of the judges, so it’s on me. I just took it and moved on. I know I’m not liked here in Nigeria much due to the tribal differences we have, and the only thing I can do is keep on working as much as I can to do my best. As long as I do that part, I trust God to handle things. I don’t think much about it though.”
Do you have a local gym or do you train on your own?
“No. I don’t have a gym. I train at home by myself. When I started learning things in boxing I used to watch a lot of my favorite fighters. One of them was Mike Tyson. Managed to find me a 300 lb. heavy bag which I saw Mike Tyson use and purchased that. My gym is in my home. A 300 lb. bag, a regular bag, cones and stairs for footwork stuff, and other basics I could afford. That’s all. Just me and myself in my home.”
What is it like training yourself? Do you like it or would you like to get into a gym eventually?
“Training myself is pretty fun. The reason I don’t train with anyone here is due to financial reasons and also due to the style guys here learn. People here will tell you to do the same old high guard 1-2 combos. That style doesn’t work for me. I would like to go to a gym eventually, but whenever I find a gym which I can look at and feel at home in.”
What part of your game do you have the most difficulty with and how are you working to improve it as your own trainer?
“I would say my biggest issue would be something like defense or footwork. To fix those I’m doing a lot of drills. Blocking drills, movement drills and more. All of those should help me with that stuff.”
Do you have a pre-fight routine?
“Before a fight I pray for the safety of my opponent and myself. Pray that we go home to our family safely as the sport is dangerous. I usually do some shadow boxing before my fight and some rope work. As of late I am starting to go into a different zone before fights. I would say that Obaro the person is a different person than the fighter Obaro. My fighter personality is something I call my demon. I usually go into that. Summon that spirit from within me. The spirit of an Edo warrior. The spirit of a Warri boy. I meditate, after which I warm up until I get my sweat and once that’s done I go out there to do what I do best.”
What separates “the fighter Obaro” from other fighters?
“I am Obaro. There is no one like me. A lot of things separate me from them. My warrior spirit. My ability to go on and never give up. My mental and physical toughness. My power. I come from some of the hardest situations you can be in. I made it past twenty which doesn’t happen for many who grew up where I grew up. My mind is different. Things like those make me different than other fighters.”
You’re currently fighting at light heavyweight but have talked about moving to another division. Do you think you’ll stay where you are or will you move weight classes?
“I walk around weighing 175 lbs. This is while eating whatever I want, as often as I want and not really sticking to a clean diet for most of the year. Sometimes I eat a meal before weighing in. This means that I can make 168 lbs, eat a little extra and make 177-178lbs to fight at cruiser and move around. I plan on fighting everywhere. My dream is to be a multi weight world champion. I’ll be moving around. Whichever weight I get [a] fight at I’ll do it.”
Do you plan on fighting outside of Nigeria in the near future?
“I would love to fight outside of Nigeria. My goal is to fight around the world. My dream is to be the champion of the world. That comes with fighting around the world in front of the whole world. I want to fight outside of Nigeria soon. I have some things coming up which could enable that much hopefully.”
What differences do you think there are between boxing in Nigeria and boxing in other countries?
“I haven’t really experienced boxing elsewhere but from what I have seen, the thing which makes boxing different for us Africans in Africa from the rest is the lack of opportunities and resources along with other things like that. The most similar situation to us would be the Cubans. Just like them, industry is very politically charged for us. Opportunities aren’t many. No one gets recognized. Not much is given to the athletes here. It’s very similar to the Cuban struggle. When it comes to leaving Africa and going overseas, similar issues like the Cubans are here.”
Who is the best fighter from Nigeria?
“Obaro Eradajaye.”
That confidence is awesome, exactly what you need to become the world champion some day. What boxers do you look up to as you work toward that end goal?
“I would say my biggest inspiration is Muhammad Ali and Deontay Wilder but I also look up to likes of Lennox Lewis, Fèlix Savón, Riggo, Luis Ortiz, Ray Robinson, Sam Langford, Ray Leonard, Floyd Mayweather, Eligio Sardiñas Montalvo and more guys like those. I love those guys. Their technique, heart and the rest. They are all an inspiration for me.”
If you were able to make one fight between you and anyone out there right now who would it be and why?
“Me versus Osvary [David] Morrell Jr. because I respect his skill and him a lot. He is around my weight and I would say he is the best around my weight in terms of skill and as a style it would be fun and entertaining. I know me and him will meet one day and I cannot wait for that day to come. That would be an amazing fight and I would love that fight. Best versus best is my aim. Outside of Canelo he is the best. I want him.”
Recently you talked about potentially fighting in MMA, would you do that instead of boxing or would you try to do both?
“I would love to do both. In an ideal world I would do both.”
What draws you to MMA?
“MMA is the Warri fighting I have always done. I have had hundreds of fights with [that] style of rules. Ground game, grappling and striking all mixed together are always fun and entertaining and I would love to do both boxing and MMA.”
Other than boxing, what do you like to do for fun?
“I eat, breathe, and sleep combat sports but I also love swimming in the rivers, cutting wood in the forest, basketball with the national team here (they are all super nice and I love the sport) and more. Most of [my] time is devoted to being the best father and man of the house I can be, but outside of that all I do is box, or stuff like that.”
Well I hope that this might have helped you gain some more fans. Can readers outside of Nigeria watch you fight live or are there recordings? With the lack of resources and publicity that you mentioned I assume it is hard to build an audience and convince promoters to sign you. Are there ways someone in another country can potentially help you get discovered?
“Live shows aren’t a thing for me at present. The videos are sometimes posted and other times not posted. It just depends on the people here. If I look too good, they don’t post. I usually try to get the footage and post it myself. That’s usually how I share fights. Most of them can be found on my Instagram or Twitter. It’s hard dealing with managers as a whole. So many with so many agendas. Some will come try to exploit me due to my situation with five year deals. Others will come and tell me other things. I am trying to find a manager. A right fit. If I can get one, it would be amazing and would help a lot.”
You mentioned we can see some of your fights on Instagram and Twitter, where can people follow you on social media?
“My Twitter and Instagram are the only places. @eradajaye.obaro on Instagram and @eradajaye_obaro on Twitter.”
Is there anything else you want people to know about Obaro Eradajaye?
“I’m coming for all of those belts. And I promise I will make it or die trying.”
Thank you again, Obaro, for taking the time for this interview. I’ve loved keeping up with your career in the past few months and hope that this might have created some new fans for you. If anyone reading this might just so happen to be the right set of eyes that can connect Obaro with a promoter please reach out to either of us. I look forward to seeing him explode onto the scene in the next couple of years.
As always thank you for reading and I appreciate your feedback, both positive and negative, especially since this was my first time interviewing a fighter.