By Curtis Bagley

In this exclusive interview, Extra Time interview former British, Commonwealth and WBU light-heavyweight champion, Tony ‘Oakey Kokey’ Oakey. Born and bred in Portsmouth, Tony first made his break in Boxing, winning the ABA’s twice in 1998. Following on from this, Tony picked up recognitions from legendary Boxing promoter, Frank Maloney, who wasted no time in signing him up. “My uncle was on a flight back from America, after seeing a Lennox Lewis fight, when he bumped into Frank Maloney. He spoke to Frank about me winning the ABA’s, and Frank was keen to meet up with me. He gave my uncle a Business card and told to give him a ring, and my boxing career went from there.”

With British Boxing producing stars such as, Henry Cooper and more recently, Anthony Joshua, Tony may not have been as well known, however won his fair share of belts and competitions. When asked what his biggest achievement, he struggled to single out just one. “It’s hard to tell you what my biggest achievement in Boxing is, as they all meant so much to me, but the three biggest for me were the WBU title, which was also won by my good friend Ricky Hatton, the Prizefighter, which was on Sky Sports, having your arm lifted 3 times in one night, was fantastic, and probably the Commonwealth light-heavyweight title.”

As a youngster, Tony was compared to Hall Of Fame great, Rocky Marciano, so when asked who his Boxing idol was, it wasn’t hard to guess his answer. “One of my earliest memories was watching Mike Tyson beat Trevor Berbick. Tyson was so fast and ferocious, I just remember thinking, I wanna be like that, winning titles and being on TV. Also being compared to Rocky Marciano, I always looked up to him as it was special to be compared to such a great boxing.”

Tony fought ex WBA champion, Nathan Cleverley back in 2008, and has come across many tough opponents. “My toughest opponent, I would have to say was Chris Davies, the Welsh lad, although I won, he was so tough and hit so hard, it was a very even fight.”

Tony’s most recent opponent was Jeff ‘Left Hook’ Lacy, an American boxer who has fought the likes of Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones Jr. Tony Amazingly won the fight and unexpectedly gained a new friend in Lacy. So whats next for Oakey Kokey? “My dream was to always fight in America. Me and Jeff have been in contact, and are in talks for a rematch in Florida, but if that doesn’t happen, I am more than happy to hang up my gloves and retire from boxing, as I’ve achieved everything I wanted in Boxing.