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Sports News for Sunday, September 20, 2020
Source: Happy 98.9FM
20-09-2020
DK’s Poison fight with Mexican Olivares
On this day of September 20, 1975 (today exactly 45 years ago) David ‘Poison’, Kotei became the first Ghanaian professional boxer to win a world title after beating Mexican Ruben ‘Mr Knockout’ Olivares by split point decision in California.
Saturday night – September 20, 1975
The Forum – Los Angeles, California Promoter: Don Fraser
WBC Featherweight Championship
Tape tale
Rubén ‘Mr. Knockout ‘Olivares (Mexico)
WBC Featherweight Champion
Record ……… 80–5–1 (71 KO’s)
Age ………… .28 years, 8 months
Height ……… .5? 5 1/2?
Scope ……… .67?
David’Poison ‘Kotei (Ghana)
1 British Commonwealth WBC Featherweight and Featherweight Champion Record ……… 29-2-2 (18 KO’s)
Age ………… .24 years, 9 months
Height ……… .5? 7 1/2?
Scope ……… .68 1/2?
Betting Favorite – (Ruben Olivares) 10-8
Rubén Olivares was making the ‘1st defense of his WBC Championship.
Fight Purses, {Ruben Olivares $ 80,000} – {David Kotei $ 15,000 – plus an additional $ 5,000 for the British broadcast fee}
The 28-year-old champion still had “punching power,” but his speed had decreased with age. Reports were flying through Los Angeles that Ruben had been partying rather than training.
Also, Ruben did not view David Kotey as a difficult challenge, and believed that he would have no problem with the little-known number one WBC featherweight contender, and predicted that he would win easily.
The 24-year-old Ghanaian had been training in Los Angeles for 3 weeks, and the muscular Kotey looked great in sparring sessions. ‘DK Poison’ was fast and had a very good left hook, accompanied by an explosive right.
Francis Clottley, Kotei’s trainer, had brought Cheikie Ferrera to help prepare Kotei for the Champion.
The fight
The speedy David Kotei opened in the first round with a quick attack and surprised the ‘slow’ Ruben Olivares with a right hand, then dropped the Champion with a left hook.
The young and powerful Ghanaian controlled the first few rounds, with fast and hard right hands, and then fell back looking to counter with his strong left hook.
Despite spending more, the 28-year-old champion held on and began slamming his body shots from left to right in the middle rounds. The Champion was able to support Kotei and closed
the gap in the scorecards in the eighth round.
In a back-and-forth fight in rounds nine and ten, Kotey was able to land one-two fast and back down before being countered. While the Champion continued to throw hard forehand shots to the body.
But in the eleventh round, Olivares appeared to be “out of power” as Kotei scored with quick right lefts to the head and then used cooler legs to avoid any of the Champion’s kickback.
In the twelfth round, both fighters collided heads, and the Champion came out with a bad cut to his left eye.
The Challenger used that cut to get aggressive, scoring several hard shots at the partially blinded Champion.
Entering round thirteen, the challenger was ahead on the score cards and struggled defensively, and boxed smart.
hitting and using his quick legs to stay away from a ‘stalking’ Olivares.
The Champion, realizing he needed to win the final two rounds in a big way, put together a late rally in rounds fourteen and fifteen by scoring with more hits, but they lacked the power to hurt young David Kotei.
Dashboards;
Referee: Rudy Jordan ……… 145-144 (Ruben Olivares)
Judge, Dick Young ………… .143-142 (David Kotey)
Judge, Chuck Hassett ……… 144-143 (David Kotey)
Most of the in-ring press had David Kotei winning by a 144-142 scorecard.
Associated Press ………… ..142-141 (David Kotey)
Los Angeles Times ………… .144-141 (Ruben Olivares)
United Press: ‘The Champion was slow and showed little skill last night. The Challenger was the best fighter and he was a clear winner. “UPI 144-141 scorecard for David Kotei.
David Kotei: “I had a fight plan and it worked. Ruben was great as a bantamweight, but he’s not that great
in featherweight. “
Rubén Olivares: “He was very fast at the beginning of the fight, but I took over and won nine rounds. I was sure the last two rounds beat me. “
The 7861 pro-Olivares fans at The Forum erupted in boos after the decision was announced and rioted. Several hundred fans stormed the ring and attacked David Kotei, his cornerbacks and the Ghanaian contingent.
Whats Next?
David ‘Poison’ Kotei was supposed to make the ‘first defense’ of his Championship against Shig Fukuyama on December 21, 1975, but contractual issues could not be corrected.
So, ‘Poison’ took a non-title fight against ‘tough’ featherweight David Sotello 38-12-2 (16 KO’s) in Accra, Ghana. He won a very close decision in 10 rounds in front of 30,000 Ghanaian fans.
DK Poison successfully defended the title against Flipper Uehara and Shig Fukuyama, before losing it in his third defense on November 6, 1976 via unanimous decision on points to Danny “Little Red” Lopez in a fierce fight in Accra, Ghana.
Elsewhere;
On this 20 September 2007 (today exactly 13 years ago) the Black Queens of Ghana crowned their shameful appearance at the 5th FIFA Women’s World Cup in China with a 2-7 victory at the hands of Norway in their final Group match. C disputed in Hangzhou. Stadium.
The Queens conceded three goals before halftime and four more in the second half before captain Adjoa Bayor and Florence Okoe recovered two face-saving goals.
Coach Isaac Paha’s decision to start Gladys Enti in the spot ahead of number one Meimunatu Sulemana proved disastrous on another day when the Queens lacked vision and all they could to upset any opponent. Enti, who made elementary mistakes, picked up the first ball from the net as early as the third minute when Lane Stroklokken sent her flat-footed in a goal-scorer fight.
The Norwegians, who finished as group winners with seven points for the victory, controlled the game while caging Ghana’s midfield in the process.
Ghana, however, came closer at the 28 minute mark when captain Adjoa Bayor tested victor’s goalkeeper Bente Nordby with a long-range shot that drew applause from the 54,000 Hangzhou Dragon Stadium fans who have held faith in abysmal Queens.
Then came the effort of Tahiru Rumanatu eight minutes later. The player gifted with a good play started by Bayor and cooked by Anita Amankwah, but with goalkeeper Nordby well beaten, the debutant squeezed the ball to the side of the net to make silly the screams that preceded her effort.
Eventual Most Valuable Player of the match (MVP) Ragnhild Gulbrandsen, who hit a hat trick, taught Ghana how to do it with the first of the day profiting from an offside trap that left the defense very exposed.
The third goal was to follow five minutes later with Ane Stangeland Horpestad connecting from the penalty spot. Isabell Herlovsen, Gulbrandsen, Lise Klaveness had their turns to wrap up the Queens demolition drill.
The Queens lost all three matches in the competition in which they were making their third appearance. They lost 1-4 to Australia and 0-4 to Canada in the other group matches.
Norway and Australia advanced to the round of 16 of the group.
Ghana Lineup: Gladys Enti / Meimunatu Sulemana, Aminatu Ibrahim, Mavis Danso, Yaa Avoe, Doreen Awuah, Florence Okoe, Anita Aenuku / Memuna Darku, Adjoa Bayor, Olivia Amoako, Tahiru Rumanatu and Anita Amankwaa.
By: George ‘Alan Green’ Mahamah
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