Agbeko Pays Courtesy Call On Former President Rawlings

Two-time former IBF world champion and current WBO Africa Bantamweight title holder Joseph “King Kong” Agbeko (35-5, 26KOs) paid a courtesy call on former President Jerry John Rawlings at his residence last Thursday, 11 April 2019, to present to him the trunks he wore on the night of his defeat to Mares.

Agbeko (35-5-0) is self-assured that he has buried the Mares demon with that gesture.

“After the Mares defeat, things were not going well for me and the world title seemed far from me, so I visited the former President, who is my Godfather and inspirer, to bury that part of my past,” he told reporters.

He believed that the visit was to get the former president’s blessing ahead of his upcoming bout with 23 year old Tanzanian, Shabani Hashimu Zuberi.

He is confident that this gesture would boost his morale physically and spiritually to take a shot at the world title again.

According to him, the donation would ease the pain he suffered from losing twice to Mares.

“I have never watched the Mares fight. It hurts to lose to him. I presented the shorts as a sign of moving on to become a world champion again,” He explained.

If you could recall, the “Abner Mares vs. Joseph Agbeko” championship fight for the WBC Silver & IBF Bantamweight championships which was marred by controversy due to the prevalence of low blows by Mares that went unpenalized by referee Russell Mora.

Agbeko, is currently ranked number 2 by the WBO, he is ready for the second defense of his World Boxing Organisation Africa Bantamweight title slated for 19^th April 2019 against Tanzania’s Hashimu Zuberi.

The 19^th April bout is a career re-launch bout for the “King Kong”.

The bout would be stage in the Volta Region, Keta, at the Aborigines Beach Resort.