Ghana’s Akankolim knocks out Claude

Heavyweight boxer, David Bawah Akankolim, kept Ghana’s medal hopes at the All Africa Games alive when he knocked out Comeroun’s Kenfack Claude in the first round to win the 91kg contest last Wednesday.

He now awaits his opponent in the quarter finals after compatriots, Abdul Wahid Omar and Musa Rahman Lawson, disappointed in their respective fights to be booted out of the competition.

Omar could not replicate his bronze-winning feat at the Commonwealth Games as he lost on a 2-1 split decision in the bantamweight 56kg category to M’hamdi  Billel of Tunisia.

Omar managed to land a few jabs, but the strong-hitting Tunisia relied on his swiftness and agility to pummel the Ghanaian to win two of the rounds.

It was a unanimous decision for Mauritius Rosalba Jean Luc, who defeated Ghana’s Lawson 3-0 in the welterweight 69kg competition.

Rosalba looked much stronger and more composed to dominate all the rounds and unleashed a combination of jabs to the face of the Ghanaian to eventually win the competition.

The Ghanaian young boxer, who sustained a deep cut on his eyebrow after the three-round contest, blamed his injury on an alleged head butting by his opponent during the fight.