Former IBF bantamweight world champion, Joseph ‘King Kong’ Agbeko, has called on the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) to enforce stricter measures to uphold the credibility and integrity of boxing in Ghana. Agbeko, who claimed the world title in 2007 and defended it twice, expressed concerns about harmful practices within the sport.

In a recent interview with Graphic Sports, Agbeko urged the GBA to conduct thorough vetting of boxers before sanctioning matches. He emphasized the importance of assessing boxers’ skill levels, fight records, contractual details, and purse arrangements to ensure fair competition.

Agbeko criticized the practice of pairing credible fighters with subpar opponents, a trend he referred to as ‘atsiagbeeshie’—a Ga term meaning “push and fall.” He called for a strict sanctioning regime to address the issues of match-fixing and fake fights, which he believes hinder the progress of Ghanaian boxing and contribute to the difficulty in winning world titles.

Additionally, Agbeko highlighted the problem of impersonation, where boxers’ names and records are misrepresented, damaging Ghana’s reputation on the global stage and undermining the sport’s credibility.