Abdon Mewoli aiming to win the British super featherweight title

Former Cameroon amateur boxing international Abdon Mewoli is aiming to get his hands on the British super- featherweight title after setting up home in Stockton.

The 29-year-old was one of seven Olympic athletes from Cameroon who fled the London 2012 Games to claim asylum, and has already won the vacant British Masters Bronze lightweight belt since getting his residency sorted.

Boxing under the name Abdon Cesar, the rangy Yaounde-born fighter suffered what he felt were four undeserved away defeats against prospects at the start of his pro career.

But a change of style paid off in his last two fights as he used more aggression to end the unbeaten records of Ryan Collins and Atif Shafiq.

Abdon put Collins – a sparring partner of IBF super-bantamweight champion Carl Frampton – down twice in the first round on the way to a wide points victory in Kilmarnock.

And he was even more eye-catching last month in besting 13-0 Ingle fighter Shafiq for the British Masters Bronze title over eight rounds in Sheffield.

The father-of-two now intends to piece together a few more wins in 2015 and make a run at the British top 10 and Lonsdale super-featherweight belt held by Cromer’s Liam Walsh.

Abdon said: “I wanted to come to England to be something, and to be something in boxing.

“It’s difficult getting opportunities back home – Africa is a lot different to here.

“But I know I have the skills to do well. I have a lot of experience, I’ve boxed all over the world.

“And I can punch and be a crazy African as well.

“I just need the chances and I’m sure I can take them if I get them.”

Abdon is being trained by Paul O’Malley at Xercise4less in Thornaby and is managed by Huddersfield’s Chris Aston.

When he isn’t busy training or improving his English at Riverside College, he spends much of his free time studying footage of potential opponents.

“I watch the other super- featherweights in Britain all the time – we call it homework,” he said.

“I can’t say anything bad about them, but I don’t see anyone really special.

“Whoever I box, I’m in there to beat them, and I showed that in my last fight.

“Nobody gave me a chance on paper, but honestly the fight was easy for me and it has made me even more confident.”

O’Malley spotted Abdon’s ability straight away in their first chance meeting as strangers in the gym, and said he has everything needed to be a factor in the 9st 4lb division if he gets the right backing and fights.

“He is a very clever boxer and he is so tall and awkward,” he said.

“Every opponent he has been in with has said how hard he is to hit and he can punch as well.

O’Malley added: “In my opinion he beats the best in Britain at his weight.

“He has already had two big wins. Give it another six to 10 months and a few more and he can be right in the mix.

“I think he is above domestic level if anything, and he is far too good to be a journeyman boxing every couple of weeks.

“Put it this way, Dominic Ingle asked me after the Shafiq fight if he would be available to spar Kid Galahad (European, Commonwealth and IBF Youth super bantamweight champion).

“That tells you all you need to know about his ability. Hopefully a promoter can get behind him.”

O’Malley has arranged for Abdon to box on two of Phil Jeffries’ North-east shows in March and July next year.

Jeffries manages Thomas Essomba, another member of the Cameroon Olympic boxing team who left the 2012 Games to claim asylum and settled in Sunderland.