IF the scandal that recently rocked the world of boxing in Ghana proves anything, it is the fact that certain officials do not mind putting the integrity of African sports on the line. The development isn’t just bad optics for the game, it represents a crude assault on boxing professionals all over the world. Against every law of decency and professionalism, Nigerian boxer, Rasheed Idowu, was blatantly and shamelessly denied his belt after beating Ghanaian boxer Bastie Samir to stupor. There was palpable confusion after Idowu, nicknamed ID Burster, was denied his win despite knocking down Samir twice to end their fight on Saturday, April 13. Idowu was making his first international debut, and he did so in unmistakable fashion: he destroyed the more experienced Ghanaian boxer with a ferocity that is scary to even talk about, totally dominating the second round to win the vacant Universal Boxing Organization (UBO) African Light-Heavyweight title belt at the Kawukudi Park Nima in Accra. Samir, who has a staggering record of 20 wins, one draw and one loss with 18 knockouts, succumbed to Idowu’s explosive jabs and uppercuts and had to be given immediate medical attention. Highlights of the fight have since gone viral.

But the Ghanaian umpires had other ideas, and struck their own blow with crudity. They declared the bout as a technical draw, stunning spectators from around the world! It was the kind of robbery that the novelist Chinua Achebe perhaps had in mind when he presented a character in his epochal novel, A man of the people, who “had taken away enough for the owner to notice.” It was done in a terribly unintelligent, in-your-face fashion, and left many Ghanaians fuming and declaring that the referees had given their country a bad name. Amidst the barrage of angry reactions, the Communications Director of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA), Mohammed Lamptey, slammed the decision. Said a stunned Lamptey: “Bastie went to the canvas, he was knocked out. He went off for about 30 minutes before he was revived. He had automatically lost the fight, so how could that fight turn to become a technical draw?”

It took the intervention of the Secretary General of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), Remi Aboderin, who reportedly notified and persuaded the Universal Boxing Organization (UBO) authorities with video evidence, to reverse the robbery. The UBO, via its official media handle, overturned the results announced by the Ghanaian officials and declared Idowu winner. President of NBB of C, Dr Rafiu Ladipo, while welcoming the boxer, a member of the Aiyegbeni Boxing Club in Ibadan, Oyo State, back to Nigeria, described his achievement as a commendable one, saying that he is a true Nigerian warrior who conquered his enemy right in his domain. Dr Ladipo stated that he would visit Ibadan to decorate the boxer with the UBO African Light-Heavyweight title belt the moment it was sent to Nigeria by the promoter. He also congratulated the chairman of the Oyo State NBB of C, Honourable Gbenga Opaleye, and the financier of the Aiyegbeni Boxing Club, Edna Aiyegbeni, on the feat in Ghana.

No doubt, the Samir-Idowu story is a crying shame. It is a scandal of monumental dimensions. It is an embarrassment that must be thoroughly investigated with emphasis on transparency. The incident is a big dent on boxing as a sport with a massive following. Over the years, boxing has produced legends whose track records remain indelible. It is utterly disappointing that with their partisanship and utter lack of professionalism, the Ghanaian match officials sought to reverse the gains of boxing in Ghana and the African continent as a whole by treating a professional bout like a party primary characterised by rigging of results. But it is fair to say that rather than giving boxing in Ghana a bad name, they only succeeded in giving themselves a bad name, as Ghanaians of different persuasions rose in swift condemnation of the incident. The authorities need to investigate the incident and question the judges, who even declared with a bold face that a particular blow by the Nigerian boxer which his Ghanaian counterpart found too hard to take was illegal! This was a match in which even the referee constantly restrained the winner from doing damage to his opponent.

Naturally, the judges had an alibi for their action. They claimed that they committed the fraud because the supporters of the defeated boxer were threatening violence in the arena, and that they feared a retaliation. But that is a lame excuse, as there is no indication that they submitted a report detailing the true state of affairs and declaring the true score. Besides, in an international competition of that magnitude, there ought to be adequate security for all. Boxing, like other sports, is not an avenue for street urchins to display acts of violence. It is an extremely serious sport that demands adequate security for all participants, including a back-up for the law enforcement operatives mandated to take charge of match venues.

We condemn the action of the Ghanaian referees. Their action was not even fair to Samir, a fine boxer with a terrific record who, like other professionals, recognises the place of losses in the game. We also heartily congratulate Idowu on his win and urge him not to feel let down by the actions of the unprofessional umpires. Given that the fortunes of boxing have hardly been on the upward swing for some time, we urge the authorities to use the Ghana scandal as an avenue to redeem the image of the great sport on the continent.

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