Major and Latest Boxing news in Ghana

Daniel Lartekwei Lartey, local trainer of US-based bantamweight fighter Jesse Manyo Plange, says his charge was robbed in his bout against Tanzanian Fadhili Majiha, which was staged at the Super Dome Arena at Dar-Es-Salaam in Tanzania.

He stated that watching the fight closely from Ghana, he thought Manyo deserved to win, but wondered why the verdict was given to the Tanzanian journeyman.

He alleged that he smelt something fishy between his new promoters, LPMG Global, and Local Promoter Alhaji Mohammed Samadu.

Coach Lartey felt that the boxer’s sojourn in the United States in the past two years was to be used by these two managers to prop up the records of other fighters in Africa and beyond.

“Manyo was taken to the US to fight, but now it appears he has to make do with eking out a living by doing menial jobs and propping up boxers who have bad records to survive,” he told Graphic Sports in an exclusive telephone conversation in Accra last Wednesday.

Coach Kwei, as he is popularly called in boxing circles, was at a loss as to why Manyo had not fought since relocating to the United States two years ago.
He lamented over how he, being a long time trainer of the 34-year-old pugilist, was left out in every discussion about the future of the boxer.

“His local manager and promoter, Alhaji Samadu, is no longer picking my calls, no one is telling me anything.”

"What I know is that he is in the US and not fighting but has to eke out a living by himself,” he stressed.

According to Coach Kwei, the future looked bleak for the Ghanaian after tasting his first defeat in his professional career 10 days ago.

“I don’t think the future is bright for him in the sport; I will advise he stays in the US and manage some jobs to survive and take care of his family. He shouldn’t return to Ghana, because it is too hard here,” he noted.

Plange, 34, 21-1-1 (17 KOs) flew from the US to Tanzania on November 4 to suffer his first loss after coming under a barrage of attacks from Majiha, 29, (29-14-4, 14 KOs) in a bantamweight title fight at the Super Dome Arena at Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania