The Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) has sent a congratulatory message to Richard Oblitey Commey aka ‘Azonto’ for winning the International Boxing Federation (IBF) Lightweight world title, on Feb. 2, 2019 against Russian Isa Chaniev.
Commey, who is now Ghana’s 10th world champion knocked out Chaniev in a grand style with series of hooks and punches in the second round at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas USA to annex the vacant IBF Title.
In a statement signed by Deputy Communications Director, the GOC said
“we are very glad and still in jubilant mood celebrating the sweet victory that has given the nation another world title. What makes us overjoyed is the fact that former Olympian, Isaac Dogboe sadly lost the WBO Super Bantamweight title and this one in a higher weight class is so marvelous and worth celebrating as it is not easy to become a world champion in this modern era of crack boxers.
It is our hope that this victory would stimulate all our hard working and potential world beaters to go for the ultimate in their respective weight classes, for them to win more titles for the nation”.
Commey 31, becomes the 3rd Ghanaian to win the International Boxing Federation (IBF) World title aside Joshua Clottey and Joseph Agbeko.
He now holds an enviable record of twenty-eight fights, with two losses and twenty-five technical knockouts (28-2, 25 KO’s).
The other nine former world champions are D. K. Poison, Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey, Nana Yaw Konadu, Alfred Kotey, Joshua Clottey, Joseph Agbeko, Emmanuel Tagoe and Isaac Dogboe.
Meanwhile, the GOC President, Ben Nunoo Mensah has commended the President of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA), Peter Zwennes under whose leadership Ghana won two world titles in 2018/ 2019.
Ben Nunoo Mensah said the GBA President has proved that he can inspire sportsmen to become heroes of the nation and urged him to groom more champions. He was just shocked that Peter Zwennes’ name was missing among the Association or Federation heads who performed remarkably in the year under review.
By Sammy Heywood Okine