Early on the evening of February 16, Anthony Ottah took the subway from his home in Brooklyn to 34th Street in Manhattan. Ottah is a large, muscular man, 40 years old, with a dignified presence and an honest face. There’s some extra weight on his 6-foot-2-inch, 250-pound frame, but he’s in good shape. He came to America from Nigeria in 1982 and has been married for 18 years. He and his wife have a 15-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter.

Ottah is what is known in the boxing trade as an “opponent.” He fights with dignity and he fights to win.He simply isn’t at a level where he can make a living doing it, and never will be. On this particular night, he was penciled in as a “learning experience” for a young prospect named Kevin Burnett, a 6-foot-6-inch, 23-year-old with a 2-0 record.Burnett’s trainer is Don Turner, who worked with Evander Holyfield and Larry Holmes.There’s money behind him.

Ottah, who had his first professional fight at age 36, has a record of one win, four losses,and two draws with no knockouts either way. He trains two or three time a week after his day job for an hour each time. “I like to box,” he said. “It teaches you to respect other men. I do it because I enjoy it. It’s inbred.”

When promoter Lou DiBella suggested Ottah as an opponent, the Burnett camp made some inquiries and got a uniform response. Ottah is a tough guy who would stand and fight, but his skills are limited.”That’s what we want,”Burnett’s manager,Craig Hamilton said.”We don’t want an opponent who will run and hold and make Kevin look bad.We want a guy who will stand in front of him and fight. I know Ottah is coming to win. But if Kevin can’t handle him, then we’re very wrong about Kevin.”

The urges that drive men to fight are strange demons, but Ottah is hardly a typical fighter. After coming to America to get an education, he graduated from the State University of New York with a degree in accounting. He is now an examiner for the New York State Department of Insurance.His job is to audit the books of insurance companies and make sure they’re in compliance with state law. He’s not fighting out of desperation. He fights because he wants to.

“I come from a fighting clan,” he said. “Where I was born, in a village called Nenwe, we box as a tradition. The men box and the whole village comes to watch. From the time I was 3 years old, I was boxing.”

Other than his health, Ottah had nothing to lose by fighting Burnett. But he didn’t have much to gain, either.The fight was scheduled for four rounds.His purse would be $1,000.

Ottah arrived at the Manhattan Center at 6:30 p.m. He was scheduled to fight in the first bout of the evening, the spot generally reserved for the leastcompetitive match-up of the night. He was assigned to the “opponents” dressing room with four other fighters, each of whom would be knocked out later in the evening. The dressing room conjured up images of a bordello.Bodies for sale. Do with them what you will.

Ottah stripped down to white briefs and white socks and did several minutes of stretching exercises. Trainer Willie Dunne joined him. Ottah put on his protective cup, then pulled on pair of creased black trunks he had brought in his gym bag. Dunne taped his hands, gloved him up, and began working the pads with him.

“If he’s coming at you,” the trainer instructed, “stand up to the man. “Get one in there so he stops coming. The minute he cocks his hand – boom – left hook to the body, then the right hand behind it.”

Each time Ottah showed his jab to Dunne, he lifted his head and brought his left hand back slowly, fatal flaws in boxing.

“Don’t raise up, damn it,” Dunne cautioned. “Stay low, close it up. Don’t leave a lane for the guy to come back at you. Fight smart. Keep him in the center of the ring. Put your weight behind your punches.This is an opportunity for you, man.”

Don Quixote and Sancho Panza tilting at windmills.

When Ottah entered the ring at precisely 8 p.m., the stands were speckled with just a few hundred people. He looked lonely, like a bull being led to slaughter. A minute later, Burnett stood opposite him.Referee Tony Chiarantano gave the fighters their final instructions. On paper, it was an easy fight for Burnett. In the ring, it would be hard.

Seconds into Round 1, Ottah landed an overhand right flush on Burnett’s cheek, then another. They didn’t do much damage because throwing punches is an art that Ottah hasn’t fully mastered.But they sent a message: “I’m here to fight.” Burnett began stalking, but he was neglecting his jab. That enabled Ottah get off first. It was Ottah’s round.

Round 2 was more of the same, with Ottah throwing wide, looping punches. A stiff jab would have stopped him in his tracks, or Burnett could have stepped inside and beaten him to the punch with a left hook or uppercut. But the prospect did neither, nor was he showing much in the way of head movement. Ottah was loading up on every punch and landing from time to time. Round two was also his.

Burnett came out more aggressively in Round 3 and began working his jab effectively.Ottah was tiring.He’s a 40-year-old man. His hands were dropping lower and lower, his punches coming in everwidening arcs. Burnett landed several hooks to the head and body followed by an uppercut, the best punch by either man in the fight. The crowd was roaring. Clearly, this was Burnett’s round.

Round 4. The prospect’s pedigree was showing. Jab, jab, body shot, hook to the jaw. Now Ottah was in trouble. It was time for Burnett to pour it on,knock him down, hurt him, make it a 10-8 round. Gut-check time for both men.

After Ottah landed an overhand right, Burnett did something he should never do again if he’s serious about becoming a great fighter. With 30 seconds to go and victory within reach, he sought to make a silent contract with his opponent. He backed off and, by his conduct,said,”I’m not pressing the action anymore, and you shouldn’t, either.” Burnett won the round, but it wasn’t enough.The judges’ decision was a draw.

After the fight, Ottah took a quick shower, dressed without fully drying himself, and picked up his paycheck. The draw meant he’ll be called upon again to fill out a fight card, though it’s unlikely his purses will grow much larger because prospects like Burnett will be wary of him. Still, Ottah has the satisfaction of knowing he gave 100% as always. For every second of the fight, he pushed himself to the limit and did everything he was capable of doing. Mr. Ottah is entitled to the respect that is due a professional fighter.

thauser@rcn.com