Remember When: Troy Darrell Faced Olajide
[Written by Stephen Wright]
It has been exactly 37 years since Bermudian boxer Troy Darrell suffered a controversial defeat to Michael Olajide in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on May 10, 1987.
The ten-round televised fight was considered a tune-up for the Canadian, a top prospect in the division, en route to contesting for the vacant IBF middleweight crown.
However, Darrell, a product of the vaunted Pembroke Youth Centre, which also produced heavyweight Clarence Hill, who won the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976, nearly shoved Olajide out of the title picture.
Although Darrell was floored twice in the first round, he made the necessary adjustments, fighting the remainder of the contest at close range, punishing his opponent with hooks and uppercuts.
The judges awarded Olajide a unanimous points victory; however, Darrell and his revered trainer Angelo Dundee, who coached the legendary Muhammad Ali, felt otherwise.
“I thought the wrong man got the decision,” Dundee told The New York Times.
Darrell, who retired in 1991, finished his professional career with 27 wins from 31 bouts.
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