Tony Oakey

Tony “Oakey Kokey” Oakey is an English light-heavyweight who built his career around the 175lb mark. Born on 2 January 1976 in Portsmouth and fighting out of Havant, Oakey was compact for the division at 5ft 8in with a 69in reach. He boxed from the orthodox stance, and boxed professionally from September 1998 through May 2010, finishing with a record of 29 wins, 6 losses and 1 draw, with 8 knockouts.

Oakey’s early career was full of plenty of small-hall work, then a run of title fights once he’d proved he could keep a pace over championship rounds. Oakey debuted at York Hall on 12 September 1998 and stayed unbeaten through the first half of his career, picking up the British Southern Area belt in March 2001 before stepping into recognised honours. On 8 May 2001, he won the vacant Commonwealth light-heavyweight title, stopping Hastings Rasani in the tenth, and he retained the belt later that year on a bill in Portsmouth.

The peak years were 2001 to 2003, when Oakey added a recognised “world” strap to his collection at the same weight. In March 2002, he won the vacant WBU light-heavyweight title over 12 rounds and then defended it against a run of challengers, including Neil Simpson, Andrej Karsten and Neil Linford, all over the championship distance. His unbeaten run finally ended in October 2003 when Matthew Barney edged him on a split decision in Portsmouth, taking the WBU belt and handing Oakey the first defeat of his professional career.

Oakey rebuilt and, in his thirties, reached the British title. On 18 May 2007, he won the vacant British light-heavyweight championship with a late stoppage of Steven Spartacus in London, then retained it with a majority draw against Brian Magee in Dublin and a knockout win over Peter Haymer at York Hall. The reign ended on 13 June 2008 in Portsmouth when Dean Francis stopped him in the ninth; later that year, Oakey lost a 12-round decision to Nathan Cleverly for the vacant Commonwealth title, a clear sign that the division’s next cycle had arrived.

If there is a late-career night that sums up Oakey’s durability and ring craft, it was Prizefighter at York Hall on 20 February 2009. Over three frantic, three-round sprints, he beat Billy Boyle, Courtney Fry and Darren Stubbs to take the tournament, showing that even after British-title miles he could still judge distance and timing under pressure. He boxed on into 2010, losing by knockout to Danny McIntosh in an English title fight, then finishing his career on points against Michal Banbula in Portsmouth on 21 May 2010, a local ending for a fighter whose best work was built on consistency, championship-round stamina, and a willingness to take on the domestic scene for more than a decade.