What was meant to be an exciting night of boxing at the Bukom Boxing Arena last Saturday ended in chaos, leaving Ghanaian boxing in disarray.
The event, organized by Ayitey Powers Promotions, was set to feature three national titles, but the main event between Jacob Dickson and Haruna Mohammed was canceled due to a contract dispute.
The problems began when a disagreement over the fight’s championship status led to confusion. Although Dickson and Haruna had signed contracts for a national title bout, the promoter failed to pay the required $500 sanction fee to the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA).
Read Also: How Mohammed Gargo faked injury for Stephen Appiah to sign first contract at Udinese
As a result, the fight was downgraded to a 10-round contest, not the planned 12-round championship match. Dickson’s trainer, Lawrence Carl Lokko, refused to let his fighter compete unless the fight was officially for the national title, while Haruna’s camp, led by Ofori Asare, was willing to proceed with the new conditions.
As the delay dragged on, fans became frustrated. The crowd, upset by the change and the delay, started throwing bottles, sachet water and other objects at officials, leading to an abrupt end to the event.
Among those forced to flee the scene were former world champion Joshua Clottey and politicians Kotey Ashie and Manaf Sowah.
The GBA President, Abraham Kotei Neequaye, expressed regret over the incident, blaming the trainers for causing the disruption.
He promised to investigate the matter thoroughly. Coaches for both fighters also voiced their frustrations, with Asare expressing disappointment over the missed opportunity to entertain the fans.
Read Also: Meet Ghana’s six WBO Africa Champions: Boxing
The chaotic scenes have raised concerns about the organization and governance of boxing events in Ghana.
