Boxing News of Monday, 8 July 2002

Source: Maurice Quansah

Alex Baba dismisses Nigerian in 2 rounds

GHANAIAN world title hopeful Alex Ali Baba made an insignificant homecoming last Saturday when he fought before his countrymen and women for the first time in five years.

But what was expected to be a memorable evening for the ex-WBC No 1 contender turned into a farce of a boxing contest as his opponent, Frank Amisi, chickened out of their international bantamweight contest in just 360 seconds.

Amisi, a late replacement for Nigerian Roland Igbafe, refused to continue the fight after complaining to the referee that Baba had thumbed him in the eye. Referee Godfried Cobbina, having failed to convince Amisi to continue with the exchanges halted the bout in 2 mins 50 sec of the second round to give the Ghanaian a tko victory.

The trim-looking Baba had earlier dominated the opening round and looked set for victory before the abrupt end.

Interestingly, the night of ?Way of Warrior? put together by Arthur-Don Promotions with sponsorship from NTHC and TV3, turned out to be one for the Black Mosquito.

Gangling Badu Akuetteh, who prefers to be known as the Black Mosquito sold to fans a combination of clowning and the stubbornness of the dangerous malaria-causing insect, to earn a respectable draw with Roland Mills after eight action-packed rounds.

Despite a cut on his head, the result of an accidental clash, Akuetteh managed to stage late comebacks between rounds to neutralise the early lead Mills established.

In the end the draw verdict handed by the judges seemed a true reflection of the super lightweight contest as none ot the camps showed any sign of protest. Another eagerly anticipated contest between Ghana?s Charles Adamu and Nigerian Kazeam Adeleke turned out to be another huge disappointment as Adamu had a rather easy payday with a fourth round tko victory in their super middleweight contest.

But for sporadic moments in the second and third rounds that Adeleke managed to land a few jabs, Adamu was never in trouble and reduced his opponent to a punching bag, connecting his jabs with ease until the Nigerian?s corner threw in the towel to save Adeleke from trouble.

Young Alfred Tetteh also had little trouble disposing of stocky Kofi Boateng in an eight-round featherweight bout.

Tetteh, the ?Stinging Bee? relied on his richer experience and solid punches to deflate the resilience of Boateng gaining a third round tko victory when the battered Ashiaman lad failed to answer the bell for the fourth round.

The lightweight contest between Sampson Tetteh and Isaac Sackey provided fans with some moments of excitement as the young boxers put up a good show over eight rounds. In the end Sackey, of the Attoh Quarshie Club, was handed a split decision by the judges.