GRi Sports Ghana 05 - 09 - 2001
Okwahu Board Chairman appeals for financial support
Accra (Greater Accra) 05 September 2001 - Mike "Bomber" Kizza, East and Central Africa Super Bantamweight champion who flew into the country from his Ugandan home-based on Sunday has predicted a sixth-round knockout over Ghanaian Joseph Agbeko in their high-profile vacant World Boxing Federation (WBF) Bantamweight Championship bout on Friday, at the Kanashie Sports Complex.
"The more Agbeko tries to travel the full 12 round, the more he would get punished", Kizza told the GNA sports in an interview at the Shangri-La hotel in Accra on Monday.
"I'm here to win the biggest fight in my 6-year carrier, I expect nothing but a win on Friday", the stocky 25-year old Ugandan boxer said.
Kizza who has an impressive record of 16-15-1 and eight by way of knockouts, said he has watched the Ghanaian boxer once, on Television back in Ugandan and said he was very much impressed.
He told the GNA however, that with his trump card of power punching and the ability to endure punishment, "there is no way Agbeko can survive the 12 rounds.
"I admit that Agbeko is fast in the ring, but we will device a strategy to stop him", Kizza said.
Asked whether stepping down in weight from a super bantamweight to bantamweight would not affect his performance, the boxer said there is no way the weight difference could affect him adding "I have prepared adequately for this fight".
"Everyone back home is expecting me to win, I'm a hero in my country and I can't afford to disappoint them", Kizza said.
Asked if the unexpected happens, the boxer said, "as a man you have to make room for the unexpected but I'm very optimistic".
Irrespective of the outcome of Friday's fight, Kizza is scheduled to mount the ring in November this year, to fight Mike Brode of UK in a Commonwealth title bout.
Agbeko, originally scheduled to fight Lewis Mwambo of Zambia had his opponent changed in the last minute, after the Zambia lost to Kizza in the East and Central Africa Championship in Bologna, Italy, last week.
The show sanctioned by the WBF and Ghana Boxing Authority and being put together by Life Time Promotions and Management Syndicate, would stage seven other bouts including three title fights.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 05 September 2001 - Ghana's world title hopeful, Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko on Tuesday called the bluff of his Ugandan opponent, Mike “Bomber" Kizza, urging him to seek divine intervention else, he might not last the scheduled 12 rounds on Friday, as the two box for a vacant World Boxing Federation (WBF) bantamweight title at the Kaneshie Sports Complex.
Kizza on Monday told the GNA Sports that he was going to stop the 21-year old Ghanaian pugilist by the sixth round or he (Agbeko) will get himself punished if the fight is to travel the distance.
Agbeko retorted, "I doubt whether Kizza will even get that far. This is my life. It is something I have been yearning all this years".
Agbeko whose records stands at 11-11 and nine by way of knockouts as against his opponent's of 16-15-1 and eight KOs said the fight is a dream come true and he will not disappoint Ghanaians.
The smallish boxer who said he has gained more stamina and increased his work rate, urged his teeming fans to throng the Complex early enough to avoid disappointment because "this will be my best fight ever".
Agbeko said his aim is to become the number one pound-for-pound in the world and "nothing is going to stop me from that dream. It is real".
The Ghanaian boxer, originally scheduled to fight Lewis Mwambo of Zambia had his opponent changed in the last minute, after the Zambia lost to Kizza in the East and Central Africa Championship in Bologna, Italy, last week.
The show sanctioned by the WBF, Ghana Boxing Authority and being put together by Life Time Promotions and Management Syndicate, would stage seven other bouts including three title fights.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 05 September 2001 - Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Minister of Youth and Sports has promised the boxing fraternity of the government's support in building a boxing gym in Accra to serve both amateur and professional boxers.
The Minister said, for starters the ministry is prepared to put in about 100 million cedis for the project to take off but said it hinges on proposals from the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA).
He said this during a visit to the training camp of Joseph Agbeko who fights Mike "Bomber" Kizza of Uganda for the vacant World Boxing Federation (WBF) bantamweight title at the Kaneshie Sports Complex on Friday.
The Life Time Promotion and Management Syndicate are the promoters of the fight, which include three other title bouts.
Papa Ankomah lamented over the deplorable state in which Agbeko is training for such an important fight adding that even though professional boxing is an individual sport, his ministry would do all it could to support him.
"If under this conditions we have been able to produce World Champions I believe that with a little push from government in the form of upgrading facilities, we can produce 10 World Champions in not a distant future.
"When you enter the ring you are not going in to fight for yourselves alone, but would be carrying the hopes and aspirations of over 20 millions Ghanaians", the minister said.
Papa Ankomah conveyed the best wishes of the government, saying that he has no doubt that the hard-work, perseverance and discipline that has taken him that far would ensure that the title does not elude him.
He thanked the promoters, Life Time Promotions, for bring honour to the country by bring such a high profile bout to the country and expressed the hope that the venture would be profitable so as to encourage others get on board.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 05 September 2001 - Black Stars caretaker coach Osam Duodu has suggestions from certain media quarters that he has threaten to resign, if he is not given the recognition that he deserves as technical head of the national side.
Speaking to the GNA Sports in Accra on Wednesday, the coach said even though he had some difficulty in the performance of his duty, "quitting is totally out of the question".
He said at the moment he is satisfied with the conditions of service adding that he has been given the assurance by the Sports Ministry to regularise his stay as the national coach soon.
"I have already been assured that proposals were in the pipeline to ensure that I operate at optimum level."
Speculations were rife in media circles on Tuesday evening that coach Osam Duodo was threatening to quit coaching the Black Stars over his discontent with treatment being meted out to him, among them the inability of the FA to place a vehicle at his disposal for errands relating to his job.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 05 September 2001 - Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Minister of Youth and Sports has given the Ghana Football Association (GFA) up to the end of September to implement recommendations and findings of the government white paper on the Commission of Inquiry into International Player Transfers.
At a meeting with the Management Board of the GFA, the minister expressed concern that measures considered important to the development of football in the country had been ignored to the extent that months after government's white paper, certain personalities indicted by the report are still attached to the FA and managing clubs while monies due have also not been paid.
A statement signed by Mr Kofi Aggrey, Public relations officer of the ministry after the meeting said the minister singled out the FA because football is the passion of the nation adding, "any defeat of the national football team affects the performance of the nation in several respects."
Papa Ankomah reiterated his ministry's intension to stay out of the day-to-day running of the affairs of the GFA or any other association but stressed that this would depend on whether certain actions of the association would not threaten to put the ministry under pressure.
The minister identified the late presentation of programmes and the requisite budget estimates by the FA, which usually affects the preparation of national teams and directed that such submissions should be made three clear months in advance
He said a total of 7.5 billion cedis have so far been spent this year alone on our national teams and called on the FA to take steps toward attaining self-sufficiency mainly through sponsorship.
On the autonomy of the GFA, the Minister said it was government's intention of making it happen, but added that until that becomes a reality all parties in the game should be guided by SMCD 54 while his ministry studied the draft new sports policy.
Responding, Mr A.Y. Ibrahim, Chairman of the Executive Council of the GFA pleaded with the Ministry to consider committing the municipal and district assemblies to rehabilitating the stadiums in their communities and also ease the burden placed on the clubs by exempting tem from the payment of the Value Added Tax (VAT).
Present at the meeting were Mr Joe Aggrey, Deputy Minister, Mr K.A. Gyarteng chief director of the Ministry and Brigadier George Brock, Acting Chief executive of the National Sport Council (NSC).
Also present were Mr Ben Koufie, GFA chairman, Mr J Y Appiah and Mr Kudjoe Fianoo, chairman and Administrative chairman of Ghalca respectively and other members of the management board.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 05 September 2001 - Dr Felix Kwabena Frimpong, Board Chairman of Okwahu United Football Club has called on supporters of the club most especially Kwahu citizens to contribute generously to enable management perform its work efficiently.
He said their contributions would enable the management to put the team in shape and also boost the morals of the players to make them put up their best in the second round of the Star Premier League, which is in its second week.
Dr Frimpong who is the Medical Officer in-charge of Odawnaa Clinic in Accra said these at a rally to raise funds for the smooth running of the club.
He announced that the management spends 15 million cedis a month as salary for the players who receive between 200,000 to 300,000 cedis for new and old players respectively and a package of 100,000 cedis as winning bonus at home and 200,000 cedis away win.
He advised the supporters to patronize league matches played at home in their numbers for the club to generate more gate proceeds to meet the requirements of the players.
Dr Frimpong assured supporters and Okwahuman of his preparedness to put the club on a sound footing to enable the team regain its past glory.
Nana Kwansima the third, Queenmother of Abura-Dunkwa and an aunt to the Board Chairman who chaired the function urged supporters and Okwahuman to rally solidly behind the chairman to enable him tackle the task ahead of him.
An amount of 20 million cedis was realised at the function.
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