ATHENA ATHLETE SIMON IBEKWE DELIVERS VIRAL KNOCKOUT ON TYSON FURY UNDERCARD

SIMON IBEKWE DEADLIFTING AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE GYM IN REDDITCH

ON FRIDAY 24TH JULY 2026, ATHENA PERFORMANCE ATHLETE SIMON IBEKWE PRODUCED THE BIGGEST WIN OF HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER SO FAR WITH A STUNNING KNOCKOUT VICTORY OVER GERMANY’S DANIEL BAER ON THE TYSON FURY VS MARIUSZ WACH UNDERCARD AT THE MAX MUAY THAI STADIUM IN PATTAYA, THAILAND.

THE PERFORMANCE QUICKLY ATTRACTED ATTENTION ACROSS THE BOXING WORLD. FOOTAGE OF THE FINISH HAS SINCE BEEN VIEWED MILLIONS OF TIMES ONLINE, INTRODUCING MANY FANS TO ONE OF BRITAIN’S MOST EXCITING UNBEATEN HEAVYWEIGHTS.

AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE, WE ARE INCREDIBLY PROUD TO SEE ONE OF OUR ATHLETES EARN THE RECOGNITION HIS HARD WORK DESERVES.

A CAREER DEFINING PERFORMANCE FOR IBEKWE

FIGHTING ON ONE OF THE BIGGEST NIGHTS OF HIS CAREER, SIMON FACED GERMAN HEAVYWEIGHT DANIEL BAER, WHO ENTERED THE CONTEST WITH AN IMPRESSIVE PROFESSIONAL RECORD OF 15 WINS, 1 DEFEAT AND 1 DRAW, INCLUDING 14 KNOCKOUT VICTORIES.

IT WAS A SIGNIFICANT STEP UP AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS CAPABLE OF AGAINST AN OPPONENT WHO HAD ALREADY ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS A DANGEROUS PUNCHER.

SIMON ROSE TO THE OCCASION IN EMPHATIC FASHION

A DEVASTATING FINISH BROUGHT THE CONTEST TO AN END, EXTENDING HIS UNBEATEN PROFESSIONAL RECORD TO 7-0 AND CREATING ONE OF THE MOST TALKED ABOUT MOMENTS OF THE ENTIRE EVENT. WITHIN HOURS, THE KNOCKOUT WAS BEING SHARED ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA, BOXING NEWS WEBSITES AND SPORTS PAGES AROUND THE WORLD, ATTRACTING MILLIONS OF VIEWS AND INTRODUCING A MUCH WIDER AUDIENCE TO THE REDDITCH HEAVYWEIGHT.

SUCCESS IS BUILT LONG BEFORE FIGHT NIGHT

WHILE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE SAW THE FINAL PUNCH, THEY DIDN’T SEE THE MONTHS OF WORK AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE THAT MADE IT ALL POSSIBLE.

PROFESSIONAL BOXING ISN’T ALWAYS A STRAIGHTFORWARD JOURNEY. FIGHTS CAN BE RESCHEDULED, POSTPONED OR CANCELLED AT SHORT NOTICE, TESTING AN ATHLETE’S MINDSET JUST AS MUCH AS THEIR PHYSICAL PREPARATION.

IN THE MONTHS LEADING UP TO HIS VICTORY OVER DANIEL BAER, SIMON EXPERIENCED A NUMBER OF CANCELLED BOUTS. FOR MANY FIGHTERS, THAT CAN LEAD TO FRUSTRATION OR A DROP IN MOTIVATION. INSTEAD, HE CONTINUED TO DO WHAT HE HAD BEEN DOING ALL ALONG. HE KEPT TRAINING, STAYED DISCIPLINED, REMAINED IN SHAPE AND PREPARED AS THOUGH EVERY FIGHT WAS GOING AHEAD.

WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY FINALLY ARRIVED IN THAILAND, HE WAS READY. THAT LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY IS SOMETHING THAT CAN’T BE MEASURED BY A RECORD ALONE, BUT IT PLAYS A HUGE PART IN WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE BELL RINGS.

ABOUT SIMON IBEKWE

CONSISTENCY CREATES OPPORTUNITY

SIMON’S PREPARATION HAS BEEN BUILT THROUGH A COMBINATION OF DISCIPLINED BOXING TRAINING AND STRUCTURED STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING.

WORKING ALONGSIDE RICHARD BENNETT, CO-OWNER OF ATHENA PERFORMANCE AND SIMON’S BOXING COACH, HE HAS SPENT MONTHS DEVELOPING THE STRENGTH, POWER, MOVEMENT QUALITY AND PHYSICAL RESILIENCE NEEDED TO COMPETE AT PROFESSIONAL LEVEL. WHILE BOXING SKILLS ARE DEVELOPED IN THE RING, STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING PROVIDES THE PHYSICAL FOUNDATION THAT ALLOWS ATHLETES TO PERFORM AT THEIR BEST UNDER PRESSURE.

RICH HAS WORKED CLOSELY WITH SIMON TO ENSURE HIS STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING HAS REMAINED CONSISTENT THROUGHOUT A CHALLENGING PERIOD OF CANCELLED FIGHTS, ALLOWING HIM TO STAY PREPARED FOR WHEN THE RIGHT OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED ITSELF.

THAT PHILOSOPHY REFLECTS HOW WE APPROACH ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE. SUCCESS ISN’T BUILT IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO A COMPETITION. IT IS BUILT THROUGH CONSISTENCY, STRUCTURE AND SHOWING UP WEEK AFTER WEEK, EVEN WHEN THERE IS NO GUARANTEE OF WHEN THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY WILL COME.

IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO IMPROVE YOUR OWN BOXING THROUGH INDIVIDUAL COACHING, RICHARD ALSO PROVIDES 1-TO-1 BOXING COACHING IN REDDITCH.

SUPPORTING ATHLETES TO REACH THEIR POTENTIAL

SIMON’S SUCCESS IS A REMINDER OF WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED WHEN TALENT IS MATCHED WITH COMMITMENT, GOOD COACHING AND CONSISTENT HARD WORK.

OUR ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME SUPPORTS INDIVIDUALS FROM A WIDE RANGE OF SPORTS, HELPING THEM IMPROVE THEIR PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN A SAFE, COACHED ENVIRONMENT. WHETHER AN ATHLETE IS COMPETING IN BOXING, FOOTBALL, RUGBY, CRICKET, ATHLETICS OR ANOTHER SPORT, THE PRINCIPLES REMAIN THE SAME.

BUILDING STRENGTH, IMPROVING MOVEMENT QUALITY, DEVELOPING POWER AND CREATING RESILIENT ATHLETES GIVES THEM THE PHYSICAL TOOLS THEY NEED TO PERFORM WITH CONFIDENCE.

WE ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT ATHLETES AT EVERY STAGE OF THEIR JOURNEY, FROM THOSE JUST BEGINNING THEIR DEVELOPMENT TO THOSE COMPETING ON SOME OF THE BIGGEST STAGES IN THEIR SPORT.

PROUD TO BE PART OF THE JOURNEY

SIMON’S VIRAL KNOCKOUT MAY HAVE INTRODUCED HIM TO MILLIONS OF BOXING FANS, BUT FOR THOSE WHO TRAIN ALONGSIDE HIM AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE, THE RESULT CAME AS NO SURPRISE.

THE DEDICATION, DISCIPLINE AND PROFESSIONALISM HE BRINGS TO EVERY TRAINING SESSION HAVE BEEN THERE LONG BEFORE THE CAMERAS, THE HEADLINES AND THE MILLIONS OF VIEWS.

EVERYONE AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE IS INCREDIBLY PROUD TO PLAY A PART IN SIMON’S JOURNEY, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO SUPPORT HIM AS HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH.

IF YOU ARE A YOUNG TEENAGE ATHLETE, AN ASPIRING PROFESSIONAL OR SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO IMPROVE THEIR PERFORMANCE THROUGH EXPERT STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING, ATHENA PERFORMANCE PROVIDES A PROFESSIONAL, COACH LED ENVIRONMENT WHERE YOU CAN BUILD THE STRENGTH, SPEED, POWER AND CONFIDENCE TO REACH YOUR OWN POTENTIAL.

GET STARTED