Emmanuel Nwodo is among the most exciting fighters in the cruiserweight division. Nwodo turned pro in 1998, winning his first 8 bouts before losing to the African heavyweight champion by controversial cut stoppage.
Nwodo eventually left his home country of Nigeria and settled in Baltimore, Maryland, winning ten straight fights by knockout, including a first round knockout of former IBF cruiserweight champion Imamu Mayfield, whom Nwodo dropped on the very first punch of the fight.
Nwodo topped off the streak by knocking out Chris Thomas in the third round round to win the USBA cruiserweight title, setting him up for world title opportunities.

However, inactivity would halt his momentum as he sat on the sidelines for a year before facing hard-hitting Darnell Wilson in 2007. Billed as the battle between the division’s two biggest punchers, the pair waged an epic battle before Wilson won by 11th round knockout. Nwodo had fought from the second round on with a broken eye socket.

Nwodo returned a few months later to knock out former two-time cruiserweight title challenger Ezra Sellers in two rounds at Madison Square Garden, setting up a showdown with highly ranked contender Matt Godfrey. In the ESPN televised fight, Nwodo scored a knockdown in the first round that wasn’t properly ruled and followed it up with a clearer knockdown in the third round. Nwodo’s undoing came when a cut on his nose opened up that couldn’t be controlled, ending the bout by fourth round TKO.

Nwodo returned to the ring exactly a year to the date of the Godfrey fight on August 29, 2009 to knock out Lenzie Morgan in the first round, but hasn’t fought since due to promotional issues. Now training out of Global Boxing Gym, Nwodo says he is ready for his long overdue world title shot.