Street to Champions tournament: Amadu, Ankrah clinch Pan African titles as Ghana edge Nigeria
Rising boxing stars Mohammed Amadu and Ebenezer Ankrah delivered rousing performances under the bright night lights at Bukom Park, overcoming fierce challenges from their Nigerian opponents to clinch special Pan-African titles, helping Ghana narrowly defeat Nigeria 3-2 in an international amateur boxing showdown.
The highly-anticipated six-bout contest — which featured a single female clash and two Pan-African title fights — brought the historic Bukom enclave to a standstill, as Ghana’s new generation of fighters showcased grit, flair, and national pride against their West African rivals in the second “Street to Champions” amateur boxing tournament.
And it was Amadu, the reigning SWAG Boxer of the Year and Accra 2023 gold medallist, who led from the front.
The only surviving member of Ghana’s national team from the African Games and Olympic qualifying series, the youngster overcame a fierce challenge from Nigeria’s Michael Ogunremi, while Ankrah outclassed Salawu Ridwan for pivotal wins for Ghana, as Desmond Pappoe sealed an overall 3-2 win for Ghana, with one bout ending in a draw.
Amadu stood tall in the 54kg contest, as Ogunremi, a seasoned fighter from the Yucateco Amateur Boxing League in Lagos, came out aggressively, launching relentless attacks from the opening bell.
But the composed and tactical Ghanaian navigated the pressure with sharp counterpunching over four intense rounds.
The contest was halted when the referee, acting on medical advice, stopped the fight due to a deep cut above Ogunremi’s eye and persistent bleeding. Amadu was awarded a unanimous points decision by the five ringside judges.
Ogunremi, visibly unhappy with the result, immediately demanded a rematch in Nigeria — even before Amadu was crowned by the attending dignitaries.
Meanwhile, Ankrah delivered an even more dominant performance against Ridwan in the 60kg division. Ridwan, champion at the inaugural WBC-ABU Amateur Tournament in Lagos earlier this year, struggled to cope with Ankrah’s speed and accuracy.
In the opening bout at 52kg, another Montenegro 2024 campaigner, Mathias Ashitey, endured a frustrating night.
He suffered a cut above the eye from an accidental clash of heads with Nigeria’s Faruk Oshikoya in the second round.
The ringside doctor ruled him unfit to continue and the judges scored it a draw — the only tie of the evening.
Nigeria responded with back-to-back wins. Robiu Abdullah, another product of the Yucateco League, handed Ghana’s Francis Quartey a 5-0 defeat in the 57kg bout.
This was followed by Precious Anene’s emphatic 5-0 win over Sarah Apew in the 60kg female contest. Anene, a regular on the Nigerian amateur circuit and a WBC-ABU winner, proved far too strong for the Ghanaian fighter.
But in the deciding bout of the evening at 75kg, Ghana’s Pappoe stepped up in style. Facing Akintola, the reigning WBC-ABU champion who had booked a ticket to the World Championships in Mexico, Pappoe battled through adversity.
After an even first round, he was deducted a point in the second for an attempted headbutt.
That setback appeared to energise the Ghanaian, who launched a ferocious attack that sent Akintola to the canvas twice. Pappoe sustained the pressure in the final round to earn Ghana a third and decisive win.
The night also featured the season finale of the “Street to Champions” series, with semi-finals and finals in various juvenile and amateur categories.
Winners walked away with GH¢4,000, runners-up earned GH¢2,000 and semi-finalists were also rewarded — giving many of the youngsters their first experience of a fight purse.
