Ex-Champ Joins Call For GBA Boss' Resignation

HE used to be the WBC Inter-continental light-heavyweight champion, plying his trade in the US.

At the end of his boxing career, he had a record of 24-3 with 15 knockouts.

But since he hung up his gloves and opted to get children off the streets through boxing, Napoleon Tagoe has become the latest voice to call for the resignation of Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) chairman, Mr. Moses Foh-Amoaning.

His reason? There is no transparency in the running of professional boxing in the country under the current GBA whose administration he described as a one-man-show.

Reeling off a litany of complaints when he stormed the offices of the “Times Sports”, the former WBC Inter-continental lightheavyweight champion challenged the GBA boss to provide records of the percentage deduction of boxers purses since 2003.

“There are no proper records of boxers finances and whenever he gets the opportunity he talks plenty which a section of the media surprisingly swallow greedily,” he bellowed.

Spotting a money belt full of documents, the blunt -talking ex-boxer and  owner of Willpower Boxing Gym in Accra, alleged that even though there was a budgetary allocation for a Ghana @ 50 anniversary boxing tournament which never came on, the amount was provided.

“What was the money used for or where is the money?” he queried.

Referring to the Mr. Foh-Amoaning's continued stay as the GBA boss, Napoleon disclosed that since 1995 that Moses joined the GBA as a member, he has progressively arrogated to himself the right to be the sole authority after  acting as chairman from 1998.

“Even the world sanctioning bodies' representatives who were then on the GBA have been kicked out and his supposed revised version of the GBA Rules and Regulating was done without stakeholders' inputs,” he explained.

When asked whether he was aggrieved over the GBA chairman's claim that he collected GH¢2,000 from him, Tagoe explained that the only amount given him by Mr. Foh-Amoaning was a sponsorship money meant for a Homowo boxing promotion which he had pre-financed.

“He first gave me GH¢400.5 and later GH¢300 after earlier cheques had bounced.

“He therefore has still GH¢1,200.5  to give me, so I don't understand this talk about me collecting cash from him  as if that is my habit,” he added.

Napoleon further explained that the United Coaches Association, made up of local boxing  coaches, have realised that the GBA under Mr Foh-Amoaning is not pursuing the interests of both the coaches and professional boxing  in general. “In fact we have lost confidence in him and the earlier he resigns the better for professional boxing in Ghana”.

It would be recalled that another stakeholder, Akotoku Academy, a boxing gym, a forthnight ago also called for the resignation of Moses Foh-Amoaning. Efforts to get Mr Foh-Amoaning on his cell phone through the MTN network for his reaction proved futile.