Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Box Office Sports Promotions, Mr. Alex Ntiamoah Boakye faces a ban from the Ghana Boxing Authority(GBA).
These follows the renowed promoter’s alleged physical “attack” on the President of the GBA, Mr. Abraham Kotei Neequaye and other stakeholders of the sports at an event at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra on last month.
According to media report, Mr. Ntiamoah had an altercation with GBA President Neequaye and other GBA Executive Board members.
An eye witness was reported to have told BoxingAfrica.com that the two parties had an argument over the national title belt which was on hand for the co-feature bout involving Holy Dorgbetor and Success Tetteh, who were battling for the national featherweight title.
Subsequent to the ringside altercation, GBA president Mr.Neequaye has confirmed that the Board has summoned the promoter and disciplinary proceedings agaisnt Mr. Ntiamoah has started.
“The Board met with Alex to ask him why he attacked us for not allowing him to take the national title along with him to Akropong for the Odwira Boxing Night,” Neequaye was quoted to have told BoxingAfrica.com.
“After taking his statement, the Board has decided to hand him a GH 5,000 fine. He must also write a letter of apology to the entire Board for his actions. Failure to do so would force the GBA to come out with a ban”, the President added.
Ntiamoah and Neequaye’s feud took place during a well-attended card organized by ACE Power Promotions.
The promoter allegedly approached Neequaye to request that he take the belt with him to Akropong in the Eastern Region to decorate the winner of Musah Rahman Lawson and Bernard Ayitey Tagoe’s national super welterweight championship to mark the Odwira’s festival.
But the incident became messy when Neequaye refused to hand Ntiamoah the belt.
“I spoke with Ntiamoah in the morning when I went for the national title and he informed me that he would need the belt after the ACE Power Promotions card to take along to the Odwira Fight Night,” Neequaye narrated to BoxingAfrica.com.
“I later realized that the Odwira Fight Night was being promoted by a week-old promotional outfit. So, the Board decided to refuse allowing a new promoter to have a national championship as its first show so I didn’t give him the title and that led to the attack.”
On his part, Mr. Ntiamoah downplayed the fracas with the GBA President, stating that they have a good relationship.
“I don’t want to talk about the whole incident because I feel it was a misunderstanding between us and it has been resolved,” said Ntiamoah.
“The President didn’t know that the fight had been sanctioned and that is why he refused to give us the national title but we don’t have any personal issues and we are ready to move on to continue supporting the sport.”
Speculations are rife that Ntiamoah’s anger for being refused the belt sterms from the fact that the GBA would not even have a belt if not for him.
Mr. Neequaye however, debunk the speculation insisting that the belt was donated by Asamoah Gyan’s Baby Jet Promotions.
“That assertion is false because as far as I know, the current title was donated by Baby Jet Promotions and no one else that I know of,” said Neequaye.
“But in any case, must you just call the president to give you a title for a show just because you bought it? Does he rightly own it? I don’t think so and some of these things must not be encouraged by the GBA.”