WBA International lightweight champion Emmanuel Tagoe and his November 11 opponent George Ashie may have sold out a crowd puller of a bout but will have their purses cut by Baby Jet Promotions for contract breaches.
George Ashie and his team boycotted the mandatory post-bout news conference at the Accra Stadium which was part of the signed agreements with the promoters. Emmanuel Tagoe on the other hand emerged into the ring with dozens of his supporters around him, some of whom even entered the ring. This was a clear breach of stipulations in the contract.
In an interview with Joy Sports Samuel Anim Addo who is in charge at Baby Jet Promotions revealed that the boxers were aware of the rules because they had attended a rules meeting prior to the fight and agreed in the contracts to abide by the terms. “Ashie did not attend the post-event conference and Emmanuel Tagoe had too many people around him. These were not good things for the fight night. The appropriate sanctions will be meted out to them so that they don’t repeat such things,” he said.
George Ashie explained on Monday’s edition of the Joy Sports Track that he abandoned the news conference because he was peeved. “I don’t think that Emmanuel Tagoe won the fight. I know I won the fight and I want a rematch. I knew I was leading the rounds because I threw my hands more,” an obviously unhappy Ashie told Joy Sports.
He also alleged that he suspected foul play on the part of the promoters in ‘arranging’ the bout. He is already asking for a rematch.
In a separate interview, George Ashie s trainer Godwin Nii Dzanie Kotey, popularly known as Alloway said his camp didn’t mind what the promoters had decided. “We avoided the news conference because we didn’t want any confrontation and we didn’t want to react badly towards anyone.”
Emmanuel ‘Game Boy’ Tagoe won a majority decision over George Ashie to annex the WBA International Lightweight title in the early hours of Sunday November 11 at the Accra Stadium. This main attraction on the Maiden Baby Jet Promotions Bill saw a massive tension-filled build-up which led to altercations between the fans o the two boxers in Accra before and after the fight.