Derrick Osaze

Derrick Osazemwinde, also known as “The Punching Preacher,” is a British professional boxer born on October 11, 1993, in Peckham, London, England. He stands at 5 feet 9 inches tall. Osaze is the fifth of six children and was raised in Peckham, South East London. At the age of 15, after being excluded from school multiple times due to anger management issues, he turned to boxing in 2009, encouraged by a friend to channel his energy positively. He credits boxing with teaching him self-discipline and helping him stay out of trouble. Osaze attended Nottingham Trent University, where he earned a BA (Hons) in Business Management and a Master's in Sport Psychology.

As an amateur, Osaze won two national titles and one regional title, participating in 19 amateur fights before turning professional. He made his professional debut on December 16, 2017, securing a points decision victory against Callum Ide at the Bingham Leisure Centre. Osaze gained significant attention by winning the Ultimate Boxxer III tournament on May 10, 2019, at The O2 in London, where he defeated Tey Lynn Jones, Kieron Conway, and Grant Dennis in a single night. On August 17, 2024, he faced Denzel Bentley for the WBO International Middleweight Title at York Hall in Bethnal Green, London, but unfortunately suffered a second-round technical knockout loss.

In addition to his boxing career, Osaze is an ordained minister and preaches at God’s Vineyard Ministry in Nottingham, where he was ordained in 2018. He is known for integrating his faith with his boxing, earning him the nickname "The Punching Preacher.”

Derrick Osaze is a fighter who thrives in the trenches, a boxer who prefers to work from close range, constantly applying pressure on his opponent. His approach is centered on a squat stance, which allows him to generate more force and power in his punches. By lowering his body and sinking his weight into each strike, Osaze can deliver punches with maximum impact. This squat stance also gives him a solid foundation to absorb incoming blows while staying ready to unload his own combinations. He’s not looking for a single knockout shot; instead, he’s focused on overwhelming his opponent with three or four punches at a time, wearing them down gradually.

Osaze’s fighting style is rooted in the fundamentals of Western European boxing, with a heavy emphasis on tight, controlled brawling. He’s a boxer who understands when to be patient and when to launch an attack, but he’s never one to shy away from the physicality of a fight. In close quarters, he’ll engage in intense brawls, using clinches and physical exchanges to impose his strength on his opponent. His strategy is often about wearing his opponent down through repeated exchanges, controlling the pace of the fight, and using body punches to weaken his adversary.

Despite his brawler mentality, Osaze’s boxing IQ is sharp. He’s keenly aware of the flow of the fight and adapts accordingly. Like a Kung Fu master stalking his prey, he reads his opponent’s movements and reacts in kind. He often switches between a high guard and pivoting, using his footwork to create angles that leave his opponent vulnerable to counters.