GHBoxing

Samuel Takyi’s ascent from a budding athlete to a double medalist on both the global and continental platforms serves as a testament to the unwavering force of determination and relentless hard work. With an Olympic bronze medal from Tokyo 2020 and a gold medalist title at the 13th African Games Boxing held in Accra, Ghana, in March 2024, Takyi has solidified his position as Africa’s sole boxing medalist. His journey underscores the transformation of dreams into tangible achievements, inspiring generations to turn their aspirations into reality.

#DreamsToReality

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BLACK BOMBERS

MBIYA STOPS BONGCO
▫️ The DRC boxer makes his intentions clear
▫️ Ghana reap big in day 2 as Tshama, Albino beaten

Africa light-middleweight champion Mbiya Kulenguka (pictured) stopped South Africa’s Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Simnikiwe Bongco in the first round as hosts Ghana reaped big in Day 2 of African Games boxing tournament at the Bukom Arena in Accra on Saturday (March 16).

It was not a good day in the office for medal prospects, middleweight David Tshama of DRC and heavyweight Albino Gabriel of Mozambique both of whom kissed goodbye to the Games after losing their fights.Tshama, a gold and silver medallist in the Africa Championships, was beaten by Morocco’s Yassine Elourz while Albino went down on points to Gabon’s Mouandat Njinnou.

Bongco proved no match for Kulenguka who overpowered him, forcing the referee to step in at 40 seconds of the first round. Bongco is gradually becoming Kulenguka’s customer as this is the second time he has lost to the DR Congo boxer.

The light-middleweight is shaping up into a tightly contested division with 2022 Africa champion Hamza Barbari of Morocco and Mozambican Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Tiago Muxanga winning their bouts. Barbari outpointed Nigeria’s Ibrahim Yakubu and Muxanga hammered Mangue Obama from Equatorial Guinea 5-0.

Hosts Ghana made no secret about their intention to win the Africa Games overall team title for the first time when four boxers won their fights.

Bantamweight Amadu Mohammed, flyweight Theo Allotey, lightweight Joseph Commey and light-middleweight Henry Malm were Ghana’s winners and brought smiles to the faces of the well attended show.

Mohamed KO’d Algeria’s Khalil Litim, Commonwealth Games silver medallist Commeyvstopped Liberia’s Jeroson Barkin in the third round in the lightweight division, Malm outpointed Tunisia’s Hamza Ghazouani while flyweight
Allotey stopped Egypt’s Amr Eltafahny in the first round to set up his second encounter with Zambia’s showman Patrick Chinyemba who beat the Ghanaian last year in the World Championships in Tashkent. Chinyemba stopped Ethiopia’s Dawit Wibshet in the second round.

Botswana’s defending African Games flyweight champion Rajab Otukile Mahomed bowed out of the tournament when the referee stopped his fight against Fabrice Valerie of Mauritius following a cut above his right eye. Valerie now meets South Africa’s Lusizi Lubabala in the semi-finals. The Mzansi boxer saw off DR Congo’s Bakora Kalongo who refused to shake hands with Lubabala feeling he was robbed of victory.

East African boxers made their presence felt in Day 2 boxing with Uganda chalking up two wins. Kenya and Tanzania won one bout each.

Uganda’s two winners were the fast-rising featherweight southpaw Kasim Murungi and light-middleweight Muzamir Semuddu who KO’d Togo’s Holonou Akoudsan in the first round while Murungi stopped Timothy Williams of Liberia in the second round.

Kenya’s female bantamweight Amina Martha hammered Ghana’s Sarah Apew 5-0 and Tanzania’s lightweight Ezra Paul, making his debut in a major competition, stopped Mohamed William from Seychelles in the second round.

Tiny southern African country Eswatini suffered a big loss with the defeat of main hope, welterweight Thabiso Dlamini by Algeria’s Abdenacer Belarbi.

✍🏼 AFBC Communications

Get ready for the thrilling spectacle of the African Games, set to commence in Accra, Ghana, from March 14th to 23rd!

The anticipation mounts as the boxing draws are slated to be revealed today, kicking off with the technical meeting. A total of 213 skilled boxers, including 148 males and 68 females, representing 33 nations, have converged in Accra, Ghana, to vie for victory across various weight categories in the 13th Africa Games.

Tonight, March 13th, the excitement peaks as the African Games technical meeting and draws unfold at the esteemed Bokum Arena from 6pm to 8pm. With action poised to ignite from tomorrow, March 14th, athletes and spectators alike are primed for an electrifying showdown.

Each participating country may dispatch a maximum of two representatives to partake in this pivotal event. Organizers stress the importance of punctual attendance to ensure a seamless experience, with transportation arranged from the Athletes’ Village for added convenience.

Theo Lop

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BLACK BOMBERS (4)

Session B 15 Bout 354

Session B 16 Bout 384

Session B 16 Bout 383

Session B 16 Bout 383

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▫️ All 68 African boxers fail to qualify for the Olympics in Italy

Africa’s Paris Olympics campaign ended on a sour note with all the 68 boxers failing to earn one of the 49 available slots in the 1st World Olympic Qualification tournament which ends today in Busto-Arsizio, Italy.

The three female African boxers in action today (March 11) lost their fights.

Tunisia’s bantamweight Islem Ferchichi was the first casualty, beaten fair and square by Vietnam’s Vo Thi Kim Anh who dominated the three rounds for a convincing unanimous points victory.

Much was expected from Cape Verde’s Africa welterweight champion Ivanusa Moreira against Italy’s 2019 world silver medallist Angela Carini but the Italian remained in the driver’s seat winning each of the three rounds 10:9 for a 30:27 victory.

Nigeria’s Africa silver medallist Patricia Mbata was the most impressive among the three African boxers.

After losing the first round 10:9 points, Mbata rallied back strongly in the second round which she won 10:8 to lead 19-18 because of a point deducted from a warning on Polish 2014 Youth Olympic Games gold medallist Elzbieta Wojcik who bounced back to take the third round 10-9 to tie the scores at 28-28 points. In such a tie, the five judges decide the winner between the two boxers. With Wojcik winning two rounds, the pendulum tilted in her favour and was declared 5-0 winner.

Mbatia’s defeat marked a miserable end of the road to Paris for the 68 African boxers who took part in the Italy qualifiers. None of them qualified for the Paris Olympics.

All is not lost however for the African boxers. They still have another chance to try their luck in the 2nd World Olympic Qualifiers scheduled for Bangkok, Thailand, from May 23 to June 3. With most of the top boxers booking their Paris tickets in the continental and the Italy qualifiers, the Thailand qualifiers will be less competitive, giving the African boxers a leeway of making it to Paris.

So far, Africa has 18 boxers who’ve booked their Paris tickets after the Africa Olympic qualifiers last year in Dakar, Senegal.

Algeria leads with five qualifiers followed by Egypt, Morocco and Nigeria with three each. Tunisia, Zambia, Mozambie and DR Congo have one each.

East Africa is anchored at the bottom without a single qualifier.

Biased decisions have been cited in the Italy qualifiers against some of the African boxers such as Angola’s Pedros Gomes who dropped a dubious 3-2 decision to China’s Ping Lyu and Tanzania’s Yusuf Changalawe whose suspicious 3-2 defeat to 4-time Norwegian champion Mindaugas Gedminas raised eyebrows among some African officials.

📸 Nigeria’s Patricia Mbata (left) in a previous fight. She was the most impressive among three female African losers in the quarter-finals on Monday, March 11, in the World Olympic Qualifiers in Italy.

✍🏼 AFBC Communications

Ghana’s lone representative, THEOPHILUS KPAKPO ALLOTEY, also known as Theo Lopez, was narrowly defeated by his South Korean adversary, INKYU KIM, in a close match decided by a 2-3 split decision. Unfortunately, this loss means he misses out on advancing to the quarterfinals and is now out of contention in the ongoing WQT Boxing Road to Paris 2024 tournament in Busto Arsizio, Italy.

The excitement is palpable as the African Games draw near, scheduled to take place in Accra, Ghana, from March 8th to the 23rd. Among the highly anticipated events, boxing will command attention, commencing on March 15th and concluding on the 23rd, following the rigorous balloting and pairings slated for the 14th.

The stage for these electrifying bouts will be none other than the esteemed Bukom Boxing Arena and Ga Mashie Hall within the Trust Sports Emporium, Korle-Gonnor, nestled in the heart of Accra.

At the forefront of Ghana’s boxing contingent stand two formidable athletes: Samuel Takyi, affectionately dubbed the “Ring Warrior,” and Theophilus Kpakpo Allotey, known in the ring as “Theo Lopez.” Both Takyi and Allotey are poised to lead the charge for the Black Bombers and Hitters, aiming to secure a coveted position atop the medal standings.

Fresh off his remarkable performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where he secured Ghana’s fourth-ever boxing medal with a bronze in the featherweight division, Samuel Takyi remains a beacon of hope for the nation. Joining him is Theophilus Kpakpo Allotey, currently ranked third in Africa in the flyweight category. The duo, alongside five other talented pugilists, are currently honing their skills in Busto Arsizio, Italy, vying for a spot in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games while simultaneously preparing for their mission on home soil.

With Takyi now competing in the light-welterweight division, the Ghanaian boxing fraternity is abuzz with anticipation, as they envision the duo clinching gold at the Africa Games, formerly known as the All Africa Games.

Since its inception in 1965 in Congo Brazzaville, Ghana has proudly claimed only three gold medals at the Africa Games. These notable victories include Azumah Nelson’s triumph in the featherweight division and Adama Mensah’s success in the heavyweight category, both achieved in 1978 in Algiers. Additionally, Steve Dotse secured another gold medal for Ghana in 1991, competing in Cairo.

As Ghana aims to add to its illustrious boxing legacy, the spotlight shines brightly on Takyi and Allotey, along with other formidable contenders such as Joseph Commey, Abdul Wahid Omar, and Amadu Mohammed.

With the Bukom Boxing Arena and Ga Mashie Hall set to witness these thrilling encounters, anticipation builds as Ghana’s boxing maestros prepare to leave an indelible mark on their home turf.

📸Photo caption: Samuel Takyi (right) and Theophilus Kpakpo Allotey (left).

✍🏼 GBF MEDIA

In a commanding display of skill and strategy, Janet Acquah faced a formidable opponent in Taipei’s Guo-Yi-Xuan, ultimately succumbing to a unanimous 0-5 defeat in the women’s Flyweight -50kg category at the ongoing WQT Boxing Road to Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Busto-Arsizio, Italy.

This setback for Janet leaves Ghana’s hopes pinned on Theophilus Kpakpo Allotey in the Flyweight -51kg division as the lone contender striving for a berth in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

All eyes now turn to Theo Lopez as he prepares to take on his South Korean adversary, Inkyu Kim, in a crucial match slated for Sunday, with a quarterfinals berth on the line.

With the exit of the other five Ghanaian boxers from the Italy qualifiers, the pressure mounts for Theo Lopez to secure Ghana’s representation in the prestigious Olympic event.

As the competition intensifies, Ghana’s boxing contingent faces an uphill battle, but with determination and grit, they aim to seize the last opportunity to qualify for Paris 2024, with the upcoming window in Bangkok, Thailand, from May to June 2024 looming large on the horizon.

GBF MEDIA

Watch the highlights as Theophilus Kpakpo Allotey, also known as Theo Lopez, achieves another remarkable unanimous victory, defeating Tashi Wangdi of Bhutan with a score of 5-0. This victory propels him into the men’s Flyweight-51Kg round of 16, placing him just two wins away from earning a spot in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The next challenge for Theo Lopez comes against Korean boxer Inkyu Kim on Sunday, March 10th. This pivotal bout will determine his advancement to the quarterfinals of the Boxing Road to Paris qualifiers in Busto Arsizio, Italy.

Stay tuned for more updates from the #BlackBombers and the Ghana Boxing Federation (#GBF) as Theo Lopez continues his journey towards Paris 2024. #TheophilusKpakpoAllotey #TheoLopez #Road2Paris

Ghana’s Theophilus Kpakpo Allotey aka Theo Lopez, Flyweight -51kg just won 5-0 unanimously against his Bhuntan opponent TASHI WANGDI to advance to the quarterfinal stage of the ongoing WQT Boxing Road to Paris 2024.

Ghana’s Theophilus Kpakpo Allottey continues to shine as the nation’s beacon of hope in the ongoing WTQ Boxing Road to Paris 2024 Olympic games in Busto-Arsizio, Italy.

The rising star, also known as Theo Lopez, is poised for victory today, aiming to compensate for the premature exits of five other Ghanaian boxers in the World Olympic Qualifiers. This includes the unexpected departure of Samuel Takyi, Africa’s lone boxing medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games.

Theophilus Allotey, a skilled flyweight hailing from the Wisdom Boxing Club in Accra, delivered a significant boost to Ghana and Africa with his commanding unanimous points victory over Taipei’s World Championships quarter-finalist, Tu Po-Wei, during the tournament’s opening day.

Now advancing to the round of 16, he is set to face TASHI WANGDI from Bhutan later today. Bhutan, situated on the eastern edge of the Himalayas, is a Buddhist kingdom in South Asia.

📸 Captured in the frame: Ghana’s own THEOPHILUS KPAKPO ALLOTEY, also known as Theo Lopez.

✍🏼 AFBC Communications & GBF MEDIA