Nigerian-American boxer, Emeka Nwokolo has declared his intention to defend his WBA-NABA super welterweight title after ending a year-long injury absence with an impressive technical knockout victory over Britain’s Darren Hamilton.
The Punch reported that competing under the nickname “Lion Heart 7o7,” Nwokolo made a successful return to the ring by stopping Hamilton in the third round of their June 26 contest at the MotorCity Casino in Detroit, Michigan. It was the 33-year-old’s first fight since July 2025.
The opening round was evenly matched before Nwokolo took control in the second, landing punishing combinations to the head and body that left Hamilton with a badly swollen right eye.
The Nigerian-American wasted little time in the third round, knocking the Briton down twice. Hamilton failed to beat the referee’s count after the second knockdown, bringing the fight to an end just 53 seconds into the round.
The victory saw Nwokolo improve his professional record to 17 wins and one defeat, with 14 coming by knockout, while Hamilton’s record dropped to 16-6 with three knockouts.
“I recently returned from an injury, and I am glad I feel sharp again. I know I will be able to get a bigger juicy fight next and face a title defence or a title holder,” Nwokolo said.
Following the victory, the five-belt champion revealed that defending his WBA-NABA title is now his immediate objective, although he admitted that finding opponents willing to face him has been a challenge.
“The next thing I would love to do is defend my belt, defend my title in the ring. My opponents are running from me and I have not gotten any challengers, but I remain in wait for them,” he said.
Nwokolo’s comeback came after a difficult spell away from boxing following his last outing in July 2025, when he retained the WBA-NABA title with a unanimous decision victory over Jose Luis Sanchez at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California.
The win came only days after the death of his aunt, Rita Eguogie.
That success improved his record to 16-1, extended his winning streak to eight fights and lifted him to ninth in the World Boxing Association’s super welterweight rankings, making him the only Nigerian ranked among the WBA’s top 15 fighters at 154 pounds at the time.
The son of Nigerian boxing legend Charles Nwokolo also holds the WBF International, UBO International, American Boxing Federation and UBO world titles, making him a five-belt champion.
Now fully recovered, Nwokolo is targeting a bigger fight that could bring him closer to a world title opportunity, with an announcement on his next opponent expected in the coming weeks.
