Alfred Lamptey chickens out of Samuel Takyi fight
Samuel Takyi’s ambition to take on the best super featherweights in the country suffered a jolt after undefeated Alfred Lamptey’s camp chickened out of their proposed fight.
The Olympic bronze medalist had dared Lamptey to a national super featherweight championship fight, but the World Boxing Council (WBC) Youth Silver and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Youth champion did not seem interested.
Advertisement
Takyi had told Graphic Sports in an earlier interview that he wanted to slug it out with Lamptey in what he anticipated to be a fierce clash.
“I want to take on Alfred Lamptey because I want to fight the best in the division,” said Takyi (2-0, 2 KOs).
“He is one of the best super featherweights in the country and I know I have what it takes to defeat him,” Takyi boasted.
Takyi’s decision to call out Lamptey (10-0, 8 KOs) for a fight heightened tension between the two camps in Bukom and its environs.
In a separate interview, Takyi’s trainer and former World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight titlist, Ike ‘Bazooka’ Quartey, believed Ghanaian boxing needed such match-ups to help sell the sport in the country.
“This fight should happen so we can have two of our best young fighters in the country give us a good fight. If we can’t make these fights, then it will be very difficult to have people come to fight nights to watch mediocre bouts,” Quartey explained.
Meanwhile, Lamptey, who has had his International Boxing Federation (IBF) Continental African Championship bout with Muksini Swalehe postponed twice, does not believe in taking up the challenge to fight Takyi now.
The former national super featherweight titlist wants to focus on winning the IBF Continental African title to improve his world ratings.
Lamptey described the timing for the fight as premature, especially when he was no longer holding the national super featherweight title.
“I have been wondering why he chose to call me out at this time,” said Lamptey. If he wants to fight for the national title, then he should look for someone to challenge, because I don’t hold the belt. I am moving forward and I don’t think my team would be interested in taking up this fight, because we don’t know what it will add to my career,” he said.