Larry Ekundayo Knows All About Tough Fights, in and out of the Ring

Larry Ekundayo seemed destined for bigger and better things after winning Prizefighter Light Middleweights III.

The Nigerian-born boxer defeated Craig McEwan, Kris Carslaw and then Terry Carruthers to scoop the trophy, and the £32,000 prize money on offer, at York Hall in Bethnal Green, England, at the end of 2012.

Ekundayo’s success was impressive considering, at the age of 30, he had only fought twice as a professional heading into the eight-man tournament. He had also moved up to compete—he was before, and still is now, campaigning at welterweight.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Prizefighter put "The Natural" on the British boxing map.

Spencer Fearon, his promoter at the time, was perhaps one of the few people inside the famous old venue who knew all along what Ekundayo was capable of.

Interviewed by Sky Sports in the immediate aftermath, Fearon described his fighter as “brilliant" and insisted he would go on to do “great things” in the sport.

The plan was to take Ekundayo back down to welterweight and look to move him up the rankings.

However, things have not gone according to plan for the man from Lagos.

In just over two years since that Prizefighter triumph, Ekundayo has only fought three more times.

The main reason for his inactivity is that he found himself involved in a far more serious battle outside of the ring: “My daughter was diagnosed with cancer before I was due to fight Glenn Foot in a British title eliminator.

"Because of that situation, and the fact I had an injury as well, I took some time out (of the sport).”

Thankfully, though, the youngest Ekundayo seems to have the same fighting qualities as her father.

"She’s getting better," he revealed. "Fingers crossed.

"She will still be going for a check-up again, so hopefully everything will be all clear.

"We still have to keep an eye on her. Usually she would go for check-ups every week, but now it is every four weeks.”

"My daughter’s good results were a relief to me. It lifted a weight off my shoulders.”

It is not the first time something outside of Ekundayo’s control has held up his promising career.

Immigration issues delayed him turning pro, meaning the only thing he managed to pick up during a frustrating period of inactivity was a new nickname.

Ekundayo began boxing before he reached his teenage years back in Nigeria but was known as "The Natural" until he was living in London, as he explained.

"A kid came in to spar with my friend who was a middleweight. However, my mate wasn’t around and Spencer (Fearon) asked me, since the guy had travelled quite far, if I could step in.

“This kid was a really good fighter, but I did well against him. There were a lot of people there, and they were quite impressed with the sparring session.

“One of Spencer’s colleagues decided then that when I turned pro, I should be called "The Natural." I didn’t want it, but they said I had to have it.

"It’s stuck ever since.”

Having had a long amateur career that included representing the country of his birth in the Commonwealth Games, he was far from a novice when Ekundayo was finally able to join the professional ranks.

Following on from his Prizefighter appearance, he defeated Howard Cospolite in 2013 before recording victories over Samet Hyuseinov and Stanislav Nenkov last year.

Now, with an 8-0 record and a burning desire to make up for lost time, the 32-year-old will take on Dale Evans in a British title eliminator at York Hall on March 14.

It is, he hopes, a chance to write another page in what is already a fascinating story of overcoming the odds.

Ekundayo has lofty ambitions but knows better than most you cannot look too far ahead, saying: “Every fighter wants to be a world champion—that is obviously one thing I’m looking to achieve in my career.

“But, as shown with the example of my daughter, you never know what will happen. You can have a setback. Fingers crossed, I can get to the top.

“You just never know what comes tomorrow.”

Rob Lancaster is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.