WBC Grand Prix: Samed blazes trail as Dorgbetor crashes out
Ghana’s Shakul Samed has powered his way into the spotlight with a sensational knockout victory at the WBC Boxing Grand Prix in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — a night that also saw compatriot Holy Dorgbetor suffer his first professional defeat and exit the tournament in disappointment.
Featherweight contender Dorgbetor, unbeaten before last Saturday’s encounter, was outclassed by Muhamet Qamili, an Albanian-born boxer based in Italy, during their Round of 16 clash.
Despite Qamili sustaining a bad cut above his left eye early in the bout, he dominated the Ghanaian with relentless body shots, closing the height gap and seizing control over all six rounds.
Dorgbetor failed to respond with his usual fire and looked noticeably below par, fuelling speculation that he had been unwell before the bout.
His struggles were further compounded when he was docked a point in the third round for repeatedly spitting out his mouthpiece, ignoring several warnings from the referee.
By the final bell, the judges' scorecards painted a clear picture: 60-53, 59-54, 59-54, all in favour of Qamili, who advances to the quarter-finals.
For Dorgbetor, it was a harsh reality check in a tournament he once promised to conquer.
But as one Ghanaian exited, Samed stormed into the next round of the global tournament with a spectacular knockout win that reignited his campaign.
Ghana’s Tokyo 2020 Olympian lit up Riyadh with a devastating final-round knockout of undefeated Australian prospect, Jude Grant, in their middleweight showdown.
The 26-year-old had initially crashed out of the Grand Prix in April under controversial circumstances — stopped by German referee Juergen Langos in the dying seconds of a fight he was clearly winning against Mexican Saulo Morales Saldivar.
The decision sparked outrage and prompted Samed’s camp to lodge a formal protest. The result: Samed was reinstated as a standby entrant in the last 16 and when Grant’s original opponent withdrew, Samed seized his moment.
He delivered emphatically, flooring Grant with a monstrous shot just 1:05 minutes into the final round, sending a clear message to the rest of the competition.
Samed now advances to the third round of the tournament, just three wins away from capturing the $200,000 prize and earning a shot at the prestigious WBC Silver title in December.
The WBC Boxing Grand Prix, launched this year with 128 boxers across four divisions — bantamweight, featherweight, super lightweight and middleweight — is the biggest initiative yet by the WBC to unearth future global stars through a knockout league format.
For Ghana, the spotlight now shifts fully to Samed, who is fast becoming the nation's brightest hope for Grand Prix glory. With renewed confidence and a thunderous right hand, he’s one to watch.
