Rousing Welcome For Agbeko

Ghanaians who thronged the Airport to welcome Agbeko (left) couldn't contain their joy when he moved round to shake hands with them.

Ghana's world boxing champion, Joseph Agbeko, arrived to a rousing welcome as the movers and shakers of Ghana boxing, alongside some royals, politicians, gave him a hero's reception at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra yesterday.

Dressed in white T'shirt over a pair of blue jeans trousers, the now two-time world champion touched down from a Delta Airlines flight at exactly 9 a.m. GMT following the rescheduling of the flight's take-off from New York due to weather challenges.

And in his gentle strides, guarded on both sides by operatives from national security, Agbeko was received on the tarmac by a delegation led by Sports Minister Ms Akua Sena Dansua and which included Deputy Finance Minister, Fiifi Kwetey, members of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA), as well as the clergy, including Rev. Lawrence Tetteh.

'I am overwhelmed by the reception,' he said afterward. 'I thank all of Ghana for the support and love they have shown to me.'

It was the kind of reception reserved for heroes, indeed, as the live bands of various national supporters groups were moved onto the tarmac as the boxer's imminent arrival drew nearer by the minute.

Agbeko was originally scheduled to arrive at 6.05 a.m., and even at that early hour, the VVIP Lounge of the Kotoka International Airport was besieged by an enthusiastic crowd of Ghanaians.

And even when the flight's delayed take-off from the JFK Airport in New York filtered into the system, albeit unofficially, the mood remained unchanged as the numbers grew larger.

But the enthusiasm of the crowd reached a new level when Agbeko walked toward the fans. In one burst, he was swarmed by the people even with the heavy presence of security officials as persons from various backgrounds, including his former gym mates, colleague boxers, fans, and ordinary acquaintances struggled for a piece of him.

GBA chairman, Samir Captan, said he took pride in Agbeko's feat for the simple reason of his determination, sense of purpose, and adherence to discipline, all of which, he said, combined to remake the boxer a world champion.

He urged him to be modest in his celebration of the victory and the Christmas, as a more challenging task approaches in the form of a unification bout against Abner Mares of Mexico for three titles in the bantamweight.

The Sports Minister expressed happiness at the honour the boxer had done the whole of Ghana, and praised him for being a 'worthy ambassador'.

From there, seated alongside his trainer, Adama Addy, in a Chrysler while displaying his belts in a pose of an army general inspecting his guards, Agbeko was driven from the airport through the intersection at Opeibea House through some ceremonial streets in the capital to the Castle, Osu, where he presented his title to President John Evans Atta Mills.

Agbeko regained his title on December 11 in Tacoma, Washington, USA, following a unanimous points victory over Colombia's Yonnhy Perez at the Emerald Queen Casino. It was the same Perez who dethroned Agbeko by a similar verdict on October 31, 2009.