by Silas Boahene | May 25, 2024 | Africa, Boxing, International
Ghana’s Amadu Mohammed has been knocked out of the Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifiers in Bangkok after a defeat by the Dominican Republic’s De lo Santos Felix Jose Luis. The 19-year-old, who won gold at the 2023 African Games, lost via a second-round stoppage in the round of 64 bout.
Mohammed is one of seven Ghanaian boxers competing in the final Olympic Qualifier in Bangkok, Thailand.
In the upcoming matches, Leicester-based Mark Kojovi Ahondjo will face St. Pierre Kennedy Joseph of Mauritius in a Super Heavyweight round of 32 contest during the afternoon session. Following him, Theophilus Kpakpo Allotey will take on Hungary’s Bernath Attila in a flyweight round of 64 bout in the evening session.
The remaining matches for the Ghanaian boxers are as follows:
- Joseph Commey vs. Bajoku Shpetim (Kosovo) on the afternoon of May 26, 2024, in the Light Welterweight (63.5kg) round of 64, Bout no. 102.
- Henry Malm vs. Bilrrashid Mohammed (Libya) on the evening of May 26, 2024, in the Light Middleweight (71kg) round of 64, Bout no. 139.
- Jonathan Tetteh vs. Dominguez Loren Berto (Azerbaijan) on the evening of May 27, 2024, in the Heavyweight (92kg) Bout no. 192.
- Oneilla Sathoud vs. Langerova Monika (Czech Republic) on the evening of May 27, 2024, in the Women’s Middleweight (75kg) round of 32, Bout no. 200.
A total of 51 Olympic slots are available at the Bangkok Qualifier. Despite participating in the 2023 African Qualifiers in Senegal and the 2024 tournament in Busto Arsizio, Italy, no Ghanaian boxer has yet secured a spot for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
by Silas Boahene | May 25, 2024 | Africa, Europe, Ghana, International, Soccer
Athletic Club forward Iñaki Williams unknowingly played for two years with a two-centimeter shard of glass embedded in his left foot, according to his club coach, Ernesto Valverde. The Ghana international underwent surgery on Tuesday to treat a painful scar on his foot, during which doctors discovered the glass shard.
Williams shared an image on Instagram showing the piece of glass that was removed from his foot. He will miss Athletic Club’s final league game of the season due to the surgery.
Valverde explained that the incident occurred two years ago during a vacation when Williams stepped on glass, causing a deep wound. Despite the injury, Williams continued to play, even breaking the record for consecutive games played in La Liga and winning a Copa del Rey.
“For a few months, he reported discomfort in his scar,” Valverde said. “After the Copa del Rey final on April 6, he had an MRI which revealed the glass shard was still in his foot, close to the bone or a tendon. The doctor and I couldn’t believe it.”
Williams, 29, ended his record run of 251 consecutive La Liga games in January 2023 due to a rare injury. This season, he has scored 14 goals in 39 appearances across all competitions and started alongside his brother, Nico Williams, in the Copa del Rey final win against RCD Mallorca on April 6.
by Silas Boahene | May 25, 2024 | Africa, Boxing, Ghana, International
The Ultimate Boxing Show, organized by emerging promoters Swavy Blu, is scheduled for Saturday, May 25, at the Accra Sports Stadium in Osu. The event had to be relocated due to a ban on drumming and noise-making in the Ga Mashie area.
All boxers on the card successfully made weight, setting the stage for a thrilling night of WBO Africa title fights.
Sheriff Quaye, also known as “One Time,” the WBO Africa Lightweight Champion, vowed to defeat Michael Ofei Dodoo, stating his ambition to challenge top-tier fighters like Lomachenko. “Dodoo won’t go the distance. I’ll punish him until he can’t continue,” Quaye declared.
Jacob Tetteh Laryea, with an undefeated record of 11-0 and nicknamed “Chorkor Fire,” is the WBO Africa Super Welterweight Champion. He urged fans to witness the “fireworks” against his opponent, Daniel Lartey. “I am the Chorkor Fire, and I will make my opponent feel the heat,” Laryea promised.
WBO Africa President Samir Captan encouraged boxers to maintain discipline and set high goals. He also called on boxing fans to support the sport financially, highlighting the costs involved in organizing bouts. Captan congratulated the promoters and managers for their efforts.
The weigh-in for the Swavy Blu and Bronx Promotions event took place today at Dezone Beach Resort, with anticipation building for an exciting showdown on Saturday.
by Silas Boahene | May 25, 2024 | Africa, Boxing, Ghana, International, Nigeria
The 2nd World Olympic Qualification Tournament is underway in Thailand, running from May 24 to June 2, 2024.
A total of 73 African boxers—54 men and 19 women—from 25 countries have converged in Bangkok to vie for spots in the final Olympic Games qualifiers. The opening event takes place on Friday, with 13 African nations participating in the preliminaries.
The African countries represented are Algeria, Burundi, Botswana, CĂ´te d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Cape Verde, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Liberia, Morocco, Mali, Mozambique, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Niger, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zambia.
In terms of continental representation, Europe leads with 206 boxers, followed by Asia with 163, and the Americas with 106. Oceania has the smallest contingent with 27 boxers.
Friday’s opening round of 64 features 13 African boxers, including Mozambique’s Mandela Cup featherweight champion Armando Sigauque, Uganda’s light-middleweight Muzamir Kakande against Cuba’s Jorge Cuellar, Zambia’s Mwengo Mwale versus Fiji’s Davule Jone, Mali’s Abdoul Bathily, Libya’s Ahmed Alkoum, Morocco’s light-middleweight Yassine El Ouarz, an all-African female clash between DR Congo’s Brigitte Mbabi and Morocco’s Saida Lahmidi, Namibia’s Tryagain Morning Ndevelo, Botswana’s George Molwantwa, Algeria’s Oussama Mordjane, Morocco’s Imad Azoui, and Ghana’s Mohammed Amadu.
by Silas Boahene | May 25, 2024 | Africa, Boxing, Ghana, International
Samuel Agyei Darkwah, CEO of SP Sports Management, is optimistic about the future of Ghanaian boxing. His organization is dedicated to identifying and nurturing talented boxers, with the goal of turning them into world champions.
Darkwah emphasized that SP Sports seeks disciplined, dedicated, and determined boxers who are driven to achieve and gain recognition. “We are working with top boxers and top coaches, and we hope to realize our ambitions,” he stated.
The company’s flagship boxer is Haruna Mohammed, also known as “Thunder,” the National Cruiserweight titleholder from the Wisdom Boxing Gym. With a record of five wins (four by knockout) and one loss, Mohammed aspires to win both African and World titles, inspired by his idol Deontay Wilder.
Another promising talent under SP Sports Management is George Mensah from the Panix Gym. Both boxers are eager to make their mark in African and global boxing.
