The Ghana Boxing Authority through its communications directorate headed by boxing commentator Mohammed Amin Lamptey has issued a detailed clarification on the matter through a release intercepted by Boxing Ghana.
It reads;
“Mr. Ike Quartey brought his boxer (Samuel Takyi) to the GBA office at the Bukom Boxing Arena to request an introductory letter to fight in South Africa. This should have been done in a written form. The GBA has the mandate to verify the fight through the Promoter and Matchmaker in South Africa before any letter is issued for visa acquisition.
GBA recently issued out a communique to all stakeholders in professional boxing regarding the percent purse that is due to the GBA.
The GBA President seized the opportunity to engage Samuel Takyi and his manager, Ike Quartey on it and asked the boxer to sign an undertaking to assure GBA that he (boxer) will pay what is due GBA after his international fight in South Africa from his fight purse.
The boxer was ready to sign the undertaking but Quartey instantaneously stopped him and said he will not allow his boxer to sign the undertaking.
Quartey indicated that he had a similar problem with former GBA President, Foe Amoaning on the same matter. The 2% captured by GBA will become a huge amount of money when the boxer gets to the top of his career,“ said Ike Quartey.
Ike ‘Bazooka’ Quartey himself had a similar case with the GBA back in the year 2000 when he fought Fernando Vargas and lost by a unanimous decision.
He actually refused to pay a percentage off from his fight purse. As a result, he was ordered by the GBA under the leadership of Lawyer Foe Amoaning not to use the Ghana flag or national anthem. Ike Quartey must calm down and apply effective communication and relationship with the GBA to help resolve the matter amicably.
GBA will very soon come out with the lists of renowned professional boxers who have signed the undertaking to help smoothen the forward march of professional boxing in Ghana. The GBA President, Abraham Kotei Neequaye’s mission and purpose for Ghana Boxing is to reshape the sport to produce more champions and consolidate the legacy of our former world champions,” the release concluded and was signed by Mohammed Amin Lamptey.”
Background
Earlier there were stories making the waves that the GBA had refused to sanction Takyi’s upcoming fight.
A story quoted the Olympic medalist allegedly calling the bluff of the GBA president
“Neequaye (GBA President) requested that I sign an undertaking to ensure that I pay part of my purse to the GBA which I refused.” purported words of Samuel Takyi.
Conclusion
Per boxing Ghana’s findings, the new GBA running document on manager and boxer articles of agreement, it clearly states on the column headlined “Receipts” numbered with Roman numeral III that;
“A mandatory 5% off the boxer’s purse should be paid to the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA).”
Due to recent developments, Ghanaian boxers are required to sign an undertaking to help develop Ghana boxing.
With this undertaking, boxers will pay 2% of their purse to GBA for international bouts and 1% will go to the gyms. On the other hand all local fights will attract the normal 5% to the GBA as stipulated in both the GBA ‘Undertaking’ and the boxer, manager articles of agreement documents.
