From the ashes of his failure to defend his IBF bantamweight title on August 13 this year, Joseph Agbeko is on the threshold of history one more time.
At dawn at the Honda Centre in California, the USA, the little fighter whose grit rhymes more with his middle names of King Kong will have to take his destiny in his hands to rectify a heartbreaking error in judgment on August 13.
On that day, a referee Russell Mora in, perhaps, the most grotesque display of bias against a boxer from Africa, overlooked several below the belt blows by Agbeko’s opponent, Abner Mares, to throw the outcome of the bout victory for the Mexican into disrepute. When the whole world saw and abhorred the dirty tactics employed by Mares en route to his controversial victory, referee Mora claimed he beheld no ‘evil intent’ on the part of Mares. Thus ended the dream of Agbeko.
The repugnance that greeted the Ghanaian’s loss snowballed into a popular demand by the boxing world for a rematch that the authorities had to oblige, and this dawn is the time. There is no doubt that Agbeko’s soul has known no rest since August 13, and this dawn is the moment that will either help him reconnect with what has gone out of him, or deepen his emotional feeling of having been cheated.
Agbeko may have spoken less and less this time ahead of a crucial fight, but that should not be misconstrued to mean a subdued passion on his part for conquest. I believe he is fired up for the fight of a lifetime and so has decided to be focused on that more than anything else. This is certainly a destiny-defining moment for our beloved King Kong because of what is at stake. Victory for King Kong, besides providing him with the much needed revenge, will give him the chance for a unification bout against the WBA bantamweight champion.
I’m sure Agbeko himself is under no delusion that it’s going to be an easy walk to victory this dawn if he doesn’t do something more than the world saw of him on August 13. The truth whether one likes it or not, is that Mares is a good boxer who can be troublesome at all times, but I’m convinced about one thing: Agbeko is a tougher fighter who doesn’t cower in the face of rough tactics of opponents.
Having gotten a true measure of the stuff Agbeko is made of, it can be easily said that Mares may be up to something more roughly this dawn, but that need not worry anyone. Fact is Agbeko and his camp, have learned their lessons from the shameful acts engaged in by Mares on August 13. Again, as a result of the controversy that enveloped the first Agbeko Mares fight, the boxing world is going to follow this dawn’s bout with unusual interest, and this may compel the Mexican to fight a clean fight. And when that happens it could redound to the advantage of Agbeko.
It is important that Agbeko goes into this fight in a very cool-headed manner in order not to make any mistakes that Mares can easily capitalize on. The feeling of revenge shouldn’t get the better of Agbeko as that can work against him. Before emplaning for the US to prepare for the showdown, Agbeko appealed to Ghanaians to endeavour to attend the fight in their numbers to offer him the needed support in the light of the intimidating support Mexicans in the United States always extend to their compatriots who fight there. I was touched by this request.
Whatever happens there is no way attendance at this fight can be equally split between supporters of the two fighters. However, a sizeable representation by Ghanaians may be enough to lift the spirit of Agbeko. Ghanaians living in the US should be able to rally such support for Agbeko.
Even if that doesn’t happen, Agbeko shouldn’t in anyway feel despaired. He has what it takes to win bouts anywhere in the world. D.K. Poison, Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey, Alfred Kotey, Nana Yaw Konadu, Joshua Clottey and Agbeko himself all recorded historic conquests outside the shores of Ghana, and I believe it can be done again.
Ghanaians in their millions will be with Agbeko in prayers as he seeks to make us all proud. We are waiting to celebrate, God willing.
Source: The Mirror
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