Frank Tate vs Michael Olajide

October 10, 2021
Caesars Palace
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Tate W 15 Olajide
Tate wins the IBF World Middleweight Championship

Frank Tate came into the fight 20-0, while Michael Olajide came into the fight at 23-0.

Michael Olajide, who was fighting out of New York, came in with all the hype and was a 2-1 betting favorite over Frank Tate, who was fighting out of Houston, Texas, via Detroit, Michigan.

Tate, who at the time was promoted by Josephine Abercrombie’s Houston Boxing Association (HBA), managed by Bob Spagnola and trained by Jessie Reid, was marginalized by the east coast based media, while Olajide was heavily hyped.

Despite the fact that Tate was undefeated, a 1984 Gold Medal Olympic Champion, and Olajide had very little experience, it was Olajide who was coming in on the “A” side, and was being promoted as the next big thing by the biased, New York and east coast based media.

In fact, during the live broadcast of the 15 round bout, commentator Marv Albert made several snide comments in regards to Tate’s signing with Josephine Abercrombie’s (HBA) Houston Boxing Association over Emmanuel Steward and The Kronk association.

First he implied that Tate wasn’t progressing as expected, due to his association with HBA, then went further saying, “In the first twenty months of his career, Tate has gone through thirteen no-names”.

Marv Albert’s comments were unfair and unprofessional, especially considering the fact that Olajide was actually the fighter that hadn’t accomplished anything up to that point, in the pros or amateurs!

Regardless of the media hype and Olajide being the favored fighter, once the fight started it was all Frank Tate. Watching the fight it was clear that Tate was more experienced and the better schooled boxer, calmly walking down and breaking down Olajide in rounds one through four, before taking over in round five, and controlling the action for the remainder of the bout.

Olajide was game but it became very apparent during this bout that what he had accomplished up until this point was largely due to his athleticism and courage rather than his skill, and he had made it that far despite of his father/ trainers teachings, rather than because of his father’s teachings.

Tate knocked down Olajide twice and stunned him several times throughout the fight, winning the fight by scores of 147-136, 146-135, and 148-134.

In the after-math of the bout Olajide would end up blaming his father/ trainer for overtraining him by making him run five miles, six days a week, on top of three hour gym sessions.

Olajide’s lack of experience, (only 18 amateur fights) combined with his weak corner didn’t help much either. His father/ trainer offered no technical or strategic instruction between rounds, choosing instead to berate Olajide and offer nonsensical statements, in a failed attempt to push his son to a victory.

Tate for his part spoke about how he had the edge in mental strength, and finished off with, “There was no way in hell I was gonna let a Michael Jackson look-alike come in and beat me. ”

The undercard:

Tunde Foster 13-0, beat Sam Ray Taylor 6-2-1, by decision.
Warren Williams 6-0-1, beat Mark Weinman 11-0, by 7th round TKO.
Eddie Hall 14-2, lost to Kevin Watts 16-3, by decision.
Ismael Negron 11-4, beat Higinio Soreno 1-1, by decision.

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