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Photo © Brendon Pierpaoli, DHB
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Update: Kassim Ouma suffered an injury which caused him to pull out of this Saturday’s scheduled fight with Verno Phillips. The following interview was conducted just days before the injury occurred. Tom Moran, Ouma’s publicist, described the injury and Ouma’s prognosis for Doghouse Boxing, saying “Kassim's injury is not serious. In the doctor's words, he has ‘a sprain of his thoracic spine with muscle spasm, and it prevents him from deep breathing.’ And he has mild atelectesis, small fluid build up in the left lung because he can't breathe deeply. He should be able to resume workouts within a week or two at most. So we're hoping we can immediately reschedule the fight with Phillips.” Doghouse Boxing would like to wish Kassim a speedy recovery and return to the ring.
Kassim “The Dream” Ouma is one fight away from making his personal dream of becoming a world boxing champion come true. All he has to do to get there is repeat what he did nearly three years ago, and that is to defeat Verno Phillips. This time, there will be more at stake than a ten round fight when the two step into the ring, as they will be contesting for the vacant IBF junior middleweight title. That belt was vacated by then undisputed champion Ronald “Winky” Wright, who went in search of supposedly larger prey. Here Ouma speaks exclusively with Doghouse Boxing about Wright, other fights that he would like to take, and what this fight with Phillips means to him.
Ouma is an engaging young man who has seen a lot of tragedy and turmoil in his life, and he has triumphed over it all. From his experiences in the Ugandan army to being struck by an errant bullet in a drive-by shooting, Ouma has kept a positive outlook and has personality to go along with his confidence. He is a fresh face in a division that is dominated by veterans, and he may have designs on a move north to another division that is in a similar state. Read on to see what “The Dream” had to say.
SN: How is training going, Kassim?
Not too bad, and I’m ready. That’s what I have to tell you, I am ready!
SN: Are you disappointed that Winky Wright chose to vacate this championship that you will be fighting for, rather than fight you?
A little bit disappointed, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t blame him either. Maybe he thought I was just a hard fighter, or whatever he thought, that he can’t take on.
SN: Will a fight between you two happen in the future, and how would it go?
I’ll leave that with you and all the other writers. I can’t tell you what will happen, but as a champion he will have to prove that he is undisputed. I’m not mad at him, I’m just saying that if he wants to fight me, in the future we can do it. As for how it would go, I’m going to take everything he’s got.
SN: Do you think having fought Phillips before will give either of you an advantage in the rematch?
It depends on the fight, because styles make fights. I’m expecting him to come out with a different style from last time, because I know that he’s been looking at the tape from when we fought before. I looked at it myself a little bit and I’m done. But it’s going to be a good fight.
SN: What are your thoughts on Verno Phillips as a fighter?
He’s a tough fighter. He’s the toughest I’ve fought out there. I wouldn’t say I was a better fighter, but I was having a better fight than him because I beat him.
SN: Will the result be any different this time around?
I see me fighting him in just another fight, and I will pick up where the last fight with him ended.
SN: If you get past Phillips, who would you like to fight next and why?
Of course I would like Winky, because he’s a champion. I’ll have a belt and he has two of them, and let’s get to it. Besides that, there are a lot of fighters out there like Fernando Vargas and Vernon Forrest is still out there, and other big name fighters. And I’m not too far off from middleweight myself. But I’m not looking past Phillips, I’m still focused on him.
SN: With all of the terrible things you have gone through in your life, what would it mean to you to win a world championship?
It would really mean a lot. This is the fight of my life, and the fight I’ve been looking for for the longest. It’s the fight of my dreams, and if I take this world title, I’ll be able to take care of my people like I want to.
SN: Is there anything you would like to add in closing?
I would like to say hello to my fans, I love them, and expect a fight on June 3.
Writer’s note: I would like to thank Mr. Tom Moran for his assistance in arranging this interview.
The following is Kassim’s fight record:
Kassim OUMA
(The Dream)
(154 lbs)
(Super-Welterweight)
Amateur Record: 63 fights; 60+, 3-
Professional Record: 22 fights; 20+ (14 KO), 1=, 1-
2002: United States Junior middleweight
- 1998 -
+ (Jul-10-1998, Miami) Napoleon MIDDLEBROOK ko 1
+ (Jul-25-1998, Lake Worth) Alton MADISON kot 3
+ (Sep-12-1998, Lake Worth) Joseph RAGUSA ko 1
+ (Oct-16-1998, Fort Lauderdale) Renan REYES ko 1
+ (Nov-7-1998, Lake Worth) Rodney WESTON ko 1
+ (Nov-20-1998, Ocala) Jerry SMITH kot 3
- 1999 -
+ (Jan-15-1999, Lake Worth) Victor RAMOS II kot 5
+ (Jan-30-1999, Miami) Emiliano VALDEZ 6
+ (Jun-18-1999, Ocala) Angel VILLEGAS kot 8
- (Nov-20-1999, Miami) Agustin Silva kot 1
- 2000 -
+ (May-4-2000, Dallas) Alex BUNEMA kot 5
+ (Oct-13-2000, Ledyard) Kuanichbek TOUIGOUNBAEV 6
- 2001 -
= (Apr-26-2001, Dallas) James COKER 2
+ (Jun-29-2001, Gulfport) Tony MARSHALL 10
+ (Sep-7-2001, Hankinson) Verno PHILLIPS 10
+ (Dec-13-2001, Uncasville) Pedro ORTEGA retiring 5
- 2002 -
+ (Feb-15-2002, Philadelphia) Michael LERMA 10
+ (May-10-2002, Dover) Jason PAPILLION kot 9 (United States, Junior middleweights)
+ (Oct-4-2002, Dover) Darrell WOODS kot 11 (United States, Junior middleweights)
- 2003 -
+ (May-30-2003, Ledyard) Angel HERNANDEZ 12
+ (Aug-22-2003, Choctaw) Carlos BOJORQUEZ injury 8
- 2004 -
+ (Jan-3-2004, Ledyard) J.C. CANDELO kot 10
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(Jun 3, 2004) 
