A dejected Sai (middle) being consoled by some of the fans including Ayittey Powers (right) Photo: Ebo Gorman
A cross section of Ghanaian boxing enthusiasts has expressed disappointment over the outcome of the Obodai Sai – Walter Kautondokwa WBO middleweight eliminator on Friday.
The Namibian kayoed Sai in the fifth round to extend his unbeaten record to 15-0.
Present at ringside were a number of boxing greats including Azumah Nelson, Ike ‘Bazooka’ Quartey, Percy Commey, Ayittey Powers and WBO Africa boxer of the Year, Isaac Dogboe, some of who expressed regret over the loss.
Dogboe, who is expected to mount the ring at the same venue on July 22 in a WBO super bantamweight final eliminator against Argentine opponent, Javier Nicholas Chacon said it was sad to watch one of the country’s greats lose such an important fight.
“Sai is a warrior just like the many other Ghanaian warriors out there. He came here tonight to make everybody proud but it didn’t happen. This is a sad evening for everybody.”
“The Namibian is a solid boxer but we didn’t expect him to win the fight this way because we know Sai very well and what he can do in difficult moments like this but I have a feeling it wasn’t just his day.”
“He is still a hero. I hope he recovers on time to launch another attempt at snatching the title. This is not beyond such a great and talented boxer.”
Dogboe said he feels the weight of the pressure now to deliver to make Ghanaians happy when he fights Chacon in another WBO eliminator which has been tagged ‘The journey to Vegas.’
“Because of today’s loss, I face a must-win situation against Chacon because I know Ghanaians are disappointed but I’ll work very hard to make them proud.”
Carl Lokko, a boxing trainer and executive member of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) also told the Times Sports the defeat was a big blow to Ghana boxing.
He said Sai had worked very hard over the years to land that fight only to let it slip through the fingers but indicated such surprises are part of boxing.
“Incidents like this happen in boxing. Sometimes a boxer would have the best preparation but one error on his part could end everything. Sai should go back to the drawing board and correct the things he didn’t do well to come back stronger.”
Mr Max Mensah from Teshie in Accra said it was a bad day for the Ghanaian and was full of praise for the Namibian.
“I can’t say much. It was a fight between two good boxers but on the night, things worked for one and the other, it did not; it doesn’t make Sai a bad boxer. He spoke about a problem afterwards; his team should find out what the problem was and find an answer to it.”
Ishak Mohammed feels Sai didn’t prepare well for the fight because he was not at his aggressive best and had a lot of things wrong.
By Andrew Nortey
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