Undefeated Ghanaian boxer Duke Micah has set his sight on a successful defence of the WBO Africa bantamweight title but has a major hurdle in Nigerian Yakubu Kareem to clear. The two boxers clash on August 6 at the Accra Sports Stadium in a bout that is classified as must-win by pundits for the Ghanaian. That is if he wants to take a major step which position him for a crack at the main WBO title.

Micah an Olympian from the 2012 London Games was Ghana's only boxer to reach the second round of the boxing event at the games and turned pro after wards. His journey so far  in the professional ranks has seen a flawless record of 17 wins - 16 of which have come by way of knockout.

His bout against fellow Ghanaian Joseph Adu in Accra travelled the full distance in April 2015. Micah annexed the WBO Africa title after an eighth round TKO win over Ekow Wilson in March 2014 and has kept his clean record since.

In a brief interview, Micah's trainer Lawrence Carl Lokko said his boxer was ready for the challenge and will deliver to his fans.

 "Duke has been training very hard and wants to send a clear message to the rest of the division. Defending this title is a must and what will open bigger opportunities. Kareem has been here with us for some time and we will not underrate him but will ensure we win that bout and move on," he told Joy Sports.

Carl Lokko also urged Ghanaian boxing fans to patronize the bout and encourage his boxer to reach for great heights. "Duke Micah has always placed the fans at the centre of his performances. He always wants to ensure they leave the arena happy and that is exactly what we are working for on August 8," he added.

Nigeria's Yakubu Kareem on the other hand has better fight experience. Out of his 19 fights, Kareem has won 14 and lost four bouts with one draw making up his journey so far. The Lagos born boxer,  annexed the Commonwealth super flyweight title after defeating Ghana's Cobinah Johnson via a TKO in Accra, and lost it to Paul Bulter two years later in London. Interestingly three out of his four losses were through knockouts making the orthodox boxer  vulnerable.

Kareem's  advantage,  however, is his relative experience with Ghanaian boxers and their fight styles could come in handy,  as he has staged most of his bouts in Ghana with 13 of his wins over Ghanaian opponents.  

  Follow Nathaniel @citizenattoh on instagram, @niiattoh5 on twitter and Nathaniel Attoh Citizen Attoh on Facebook