Ekow Asmah Sports
Hall of Famer Marvelous Marvin Hagler, who retired with a record of 62 wins, including 52 inside the distance, two draws and three defeats, shakes his head at the amount of titles that are on offer in his former sport today compared to his heyday. “Now they have so much they throw them (titles) away like candy,”
A deal may be near for a lightweight title fight between WBO/ WBA lightweight champion, Vasiliy Lomachenko, and WBA mandatory challenger, Anthony Crolla, as the purse bid has again been postponed, this time to Feb. 20. It was originally scheduled for Feb. 6, and this is the second postponement. Lomachenko (12-1, 9 KO) is
Frank Warren has sent some verbal jabs in the direction of his promotional rival, Eddie Hearn. Warren explained that Hearn is solely to blame for several of the fallouts involving IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. Joshua was initially scheduled to fight on April 13th at Wembley Stadium in London. Hearn, who
Jarrell Miller is Anthony Joshua’s next opponent and the heavyweights fight on June 1 So, Jarrell Miller it is. Anthony Joshua has his next opponent but will ‘Big Baby’ be the pushover his moniker suggests? The American is unbeaten and will fight AJ on home turf at Madison Square Garden on June 1. Madison
Boxing chief Gafur Rakhimov says he “understands” IOC concerns over the troubled AIBA which has led to a freeze on the sport’s preparations for next year’s Tokyo Olympics. The Uzbek businessman laid the blame for “an extremely serious” situation squarely at the door of previous president Wu Ching-Kuo. “The former leadership of AIBA left our
Mikey Garcia was already forced to vacate one title at lightweight in order to pursue a lucrative showdown versus unbeaten welterweight titlist Errol Spence Jr. No matter what happens in their March 16 Fox Pay-Per-View headliner at the AT&T Center in Arlington (Tex.), he’ll still leave the ring with at least one belt in tow.
IBF welterweight world champion Errol Spence (24-0, 21 KOs) is motivated to do a job on his upcoming challenger, Mikey Garcia (39-0, 30 KOs). For, it’s the most high profile fight of his career on a world scene level. Back in May of 2017, Spence made his presence felt when he travelled over to Sheffield
Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder are close to confirming rematch after their draw in 2018 Tyson Fury, as he turns towards New York for his world heavyweight title rematch, can feel entitled to keep a purse projected to reach three times the £7million he gave to charity after his epic first encounter with Deontay
New Oldham boss Paul Scholes kicked off his managerial career with an emphatic win Paul Scholes kicked off his managerial career with an emphatic win – thanks in part to a man named Jose. The new Oldham Athletic boss and Old Trafford legend has famously often been a critic of former United manager Jose
Arsene Wenger defended former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho Mourinho was sacked by United in December and lost the faith of midfielder Paul Pogba Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has jumped to the defence of Jose Mourinho and warned Manchester United caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that ‘the statistics can sometimes lie’. Mourinho
King’s Promotions is pleased to announce that it has entered into co-promotional agreement’s with four highly touted undefeated fighters, WBO number-three ranked bantamweight Duke Micah undefeated welterweights Janelson Figueroa Bocachica & Poindexter Knight, Jr. and super lightweight Greg Outlaw. “I am very excited to sign these future stars in boxing and to be working
Di Maria went as if to drink from the bottle before handing it to an official Manchester United could face potential disciplinary action from Uefa after a bottle was thrown at former United midfielder Angel Di Maria. The Argentina international was booed from the outset by the home support at Old Trafford, and nearly had
Amateur boxing faces a breakaway threat ahead of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo after its international federation elected a president accused of ties to organized crime. The federation, known as AIBA, says a “rogue group” led by unnamed “Kazakhstani individuals” has asked national boxing federations to write to the International Olympic Committee offering to help
Dani Alves rises highest as PSG players mob Kylian Mbappé after he put their team 2-0 up at Manchester United in their Champions League last-16 1st leg. For Manchester United, perhaps it was a reality check, a reminder of their imperfections and how tough it an be at the highest level of European football. This
Naomi Osaka won the 2018 US Open and 2019 Australian Open under the guidance of Sascha Bajin Naomi Osaka has split from coach Sascha Bajin, a little more than two weeks after she won the Australian Open to secure a second consecutive grand slam title and moved to No 1 in the WTA rankings. “Hey
Kareem Hunt will play in the NFL once the league concludes its investigation Somebody was going to pick up Kareem Hunt eventually. There was only so long a 23-year-old running back who led the league in rushing as recently as 2017 was going to remain without a team. Perhaps this was the most damning aspect
JUVENTUS are preparing a £175million move for Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, according to sensational reports. Salah, 26, left Serie A rivals Roma in 2017 to join the Anfield club and has been one of the best players in the world over the last 18 months. According to Sky News Arabia, though, Cristiano Ronaldo is backing
ANTHONY JOSHUA is ready to face Tyson Fury in the biggest fight in British boxing history. Heavyweight king AJ is still looking for an opponent for his April 13 show at Wembley after failing to sign a deal with WBC champ Deontay Wilder. It is understood Hearn has offered Fury 40 per cent of a
Gervonta Davis doesn’t intend to mention Vasiliy Lomachenko quite this much. He’s asked about boxing the WBA lightweight champion so often, though, Davis can’t quite help it. The unbeaten Baltimore native admits, too, that it gets irritating to hear and read so much praise heaped upon Lomachenko, who’s commonly considered one of the top two
If Isaac Dogboe wants a direct rematch, Mexico’s Emanuel ‘Vaquero’ Navarrete has no problem with giving it to him. Navarrete believes that his chances of knocking Dogboe out will be greater than it was last December, when he dethroned him for the World Boxing Organization super bantamweight championship. Last week at a restaurant in the south of Mexico
Detoxing: A corresponding note read: ‘Every now & then a detox is necessary. Cleanse the toxins from your body & life; that means negativity of all forms – food, people, etc’ Kate Wright has lashed out at ‘toxic people’ for ‘hating’ her Rio Ferdinand romance. In a series of cryptic messages shared on Instagram, the
In this media scrum caught by Fight Hub TV, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe answers questions about Gervonta Davis’ most recent performance and calls for Davis to take on Vasyl Lomachenko. Check out some excerpts below… Ellerbe on if he thinks he’ll have Davis fighting again before July: “Oh, most definitely. Yeah. Why not?”
Israel Adesanya (left) says he grew up idolising Anderson Silva Undefeated middleweight Israel Adesanya stepped into the main event spotlight and claimed the biggest scalp of his mixed martial arts career with a unanimous decision victory over Anderson Silva at UFC 234. Nigeria-born Kiwi Adesanya, 29, and Brazilian legend Silva were originally scheduled to face
One of Britain’s most cherished stars looks set to have his moment in the sun once again. Crolla’s unexpected rise during the past four years was well documented. The Mancunian bounced back from domestic losses earlier in his career to the likes of Gary Sykes and Derry Mathews by climbing the lightweight mountain, defeating
A specialist has advised Richard Commey to rest his injured right hand for six to eight weeks. That’ll prevent the IBF lightweight champion from fighting Vasiliy Lomachenko on April 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Commey visited the specialist Thursday for a second opinion. Lou DiBella, Commey’s promoter, informed Lomachenko’s handlers at Top
Some people want to reserve judgment on Teofimo Lopez, which makes sense. He has fought only 12 times as a professional. We won’t know how good he truly is for at least two or three more fights. And he probably shouldn’t be described as a star quite yet. Again, too few outings. He might pack
Richard Commey won’t be able to fight on April 12, but Vasiliy Lomachenko isn’t moving off the date. The Ring’s lightweight champion will fight at Staples Center on ESPN+ with Top Rank seeking a new opponent for the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. Anthony Crolla is the mandatory challenger for the WBA title
Alberto Machado still hasn’t received a reasonable explanation. It’s been 9½ months since the WBA crowned Gervonta Davis its “super” world super featherweight champion. Machado doesn’t know to this day why he was in effect demoted after winning what he thought was the WBA’s “super” 130-pound championship when he came back to knock out
Most of the “story lines” going into the Eleider Alvarez-Sergey Kovalev rematch revolved around the seeming fragile state of former unified light heavyweight champ from Russia. Fans and media put on their psychologist hats and surmised that Kovalev’s two losses to Andre Ward exposed him as a “bully,” “broke his spirit,” which ultimately set up
In this quick video interview caught by Fight Hub TV, Javier Fortuna talks about wanting to face Gervonta Davis and calls him a chicken for the type of opponents he’s facing. Check out what he has to say on the subject through his interpreter… “Hopefully that chicken [Gervonta] Davis will go up to 135. If
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino – a target for Real Madrid – was spotted leaving a London restaurant on Tuesday night shortly after David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane. In pictures published by The Sun, the Argentine was seen wearing a navy puffer jacket and jeans as he left, with Beckham – who also brought along his
CANELO ALVAREZ VS. DANNY JACOBS IS HEADED TO LAS VEGAS The fight to unify three of the four major middleweight titles has a home after it was announced that the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Daniel Jacobs bout on May 4 will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 knockouts) is putting the
Despite “Super” champion Vasiliy Lomachenko staying plenty busy, it looks as though the WBA will churn out another “regular” lightweight title, which Rances Barthelemy will fight Robert Easter Jr. for on April 27th. Barthelemy (27-1, 14 KO) will be returning to lightweight for the first time since a split decision over Mickey Bey in 2016.
WBO super bantamweight titleholder Emanuel Navarrete will be facing Isaac Dogboe in a rematch this spring, with ESPN reporting that the fight is likely for May. Navarrete (26-1, 22 KO) upset Dogboe (20-1, 14 KO) to win the 122-pound title on Dec. 8 in New York on the Lomachenko-Pedraza undercard. The Mexican fighter won on
Gervonta Davis has heard and read a lot of criticism about boxing a featherweight since Hugo Ruiz replaced Abner Mares as his opponent last week. Ruiz will move up four pounds, from 126 to 130, to challenge Davis for the unbeaten Baltimore southpaw’s WBA “super” world super featherweight title Saturday night in Carson, California. Mexico’s
Teofimo Lopez wants to become the 135-pound world champion before invading the 140-pound division in 2020. Whether it’s April 20 at Madison Square Garden, the venue and date of his next fight, or any time of year, he’ll be ready to take the opportunity. After knocking out Diego Magdaleno last Saturday in Texas, Teófimo raised his hand
Four purse bid hearings scheduled for February 6 were postponed one week by the World Boxing Association. Its current load for the revised date will be at least one fight lighter. An ordered title defense between Daniel Roman and Murodjon Akhmadaliev was among the four bouts subject to a rescheduled February 13 purse bid hearing.
Now that Bob Arum has seen Richard Commey demolish an opponent, the 87-year-old promoter realizes just how dangerous Commey could be for Vasiliy Lomachenko. Barring something unforeseen, Commey will be Lomachenko’s opponent April 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Ghana’s Commey knocked down Russia’s Isa Chaniev three times and stopped him in the second
Hundreds of thousands of jubilant fans descended on downtown Boston on Tuesday for a parade celebrating the New England Patriots’ sixth Super Bowl title, and chanting ‘We want seven!’ and ‘Next year, right here!’ A party atmosphere engulfed the city as fans wearing Patriots shirts and scarves packed the streets in the mild weather and
Former world champion Isaac Dogboe was having a fantastic 2018 and was hoping to close out the year with a bang, but instead he was upset in December when he lost his unbeaten record, and his WBO super bantamweight world title. Dogboe lost a 12-round unanimous decision to the much bigger Emanuel Navarrete, who entered the
Richard Commey knew that a victory would not only net him his first world title, but also a lucrative meeting with Vasiliy Lomachenko. There was some consternation heading into Saturday’s title tilt that April 12 might be a quick turnaround for the victor. Commey ensured that wouldn’t be an issue — at least on
After Richard Commey’s performance Saturday night, Anthony Crolla probably looks like a more attractive next opponent for Vasiliy Lomachenko’s handlers. England’s Crolla is the mandatory challenger for Lomachenko’s WBA world lightweight title. The reason Richard Commey was placed on an ESPN card Saturday night at the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility, however, was to showcase the
Ghana’s Richard Commey made his second crack at the vacant IBF lightweight title count, claiming his first world title with a second round stoppage of Isa Chaniev. Commey (28-2, 25 KO) tore through Chaniev (13-2, 6 KO), dropping him late in the first round on a monster right hand. As Commey went to end things
The weather forecast for Frisco, Texas, today, is showers upon the residents, particularly Dallas Cowboys fans who could have used such showers of blessings during the playoffs. Still, tomorrow is another day for them to plan their world conquest, next year. Yet, for Ghana’s Richard Commey – 27-2-0 (24 KOs) – he has no such
ISAAC DOGBOE IS GOING BACK FOR HIS TITLE Emanuel Navarrete and Isaac Dogboe are closing in on a deal for a rematch of their junior featherweight title fight that took place in December, industry sources told The Ring. The fight would likely land in the second quarter of 2019 and be featured on Top
The WBA has scheduled four purse bids for February 6th, two for legitimate titles and two for, well, WBA titles. LEGIT: Down at lightweight, champion Vasiliy Lomachenko and #1 contender Anthony Crolla will split their bid 75-25. It was originally scheduled for February 4th, but moved for unrevealed reasons. Crolla (34-6-3, 13 KO) stopped
Bayern Munich are ready to make a new £40m bid for Callum Hudson-Odoi with the Chelsea teenager set on a move to the Bundesliga champions either this week or in the summer. With RB Leipzig now also in the running, offering Chelsea £20m but crucially the opportunity of a buy-back clause, the next few days will determine the
A US senator wants the NFL to answer questions over “the most blatant and consequential blown call in NFL history” – and questioned the allegiance of the official behind it. New Orleans Saints effectively missed a place in the Super Bowl because of the non-call against the Los Angeles Rams in the National Conference final.
The Confederation of African Football has released the list of match officials for the Total U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, dubbed Niger 2019. Twelve (12) Referees and 12 Assistant Referees have been selected for the tournament scheduled for 2-17 February 2019 in the Nigerien cities of Maradi and Niamey. For the referees, the oldest is
Flags, scarves, shirts and flowers covered the floor, with new tributes arriving by the minute Sala is missing presumed dead after the plane he was travelling in was lost over the Channel The Piper Malibu light aircraft Sala was travelling on, similar to the model seen in the picture above,
Ghana’s Football Association is organising a five-day integrity course for 150 referees at the West Africa Football Academy (WAFA) complex in Sogakope from January 22 to January 26. The course forms part of the GFA Normalisation Committee’s continuing efforts to restore confidence in refereeing and avoid match manipulation at all levels in Ghana. The course,
Tyson Fury (L) has yet to commit to a rematch vs Deontay WIlder (C) or to fight Anthony Joshua Deontay Wilder is telling everyone who cares to listen on both sides of the Atlantic that his rematch with Tyson Fury is happening in Las Vegas this spring. But it takes two to tango. Fury,
EX-GHANA INTERNATIONAL: Kevin-Prince Boateng, doing BIG THINGS! Barcelona have signed Kevin-Prince Boateng on loan from Sassuolo until the end of the season, the club officially announced on Monday night. The 31-year-old attacking midfielder will replace Munir El Haddadi as he brings more firepower and quality to the Blaugrana, with Boateng providing cover for Luis Suarez.
1 VASILIY LOMACHENKO RING, WBA, WBO LIGHTWEIGHT; WBO JR. LIGHTWEIGHT COUNTRY: UKRAINE 12-1-0 (9 KOS) WEEKS ON LIST: 138 2 TERENCE CRAWFORD WBO WELTERWEIGHT COUNTRY: U.S. 34-0-0 (25 KOS) WEEKS ON LIST: 196 3 CANELO ALVAREZ RING, WBA, WBC MIDDLEWEIGHT COUNTRY: MEXICO 51-1-2 (35 KOS) WEEKS ON LIST: 19 4 ALEKSANDR USYK RING, IBF, WBA,
THE INSPIRATION: Head Coach, C.K Akonnor, to lead Kotoko to another victory Coach Charles Kwablan Akonnor could be an instant hero for Kumasi Asante Kotoko if he successfully leads his charges to record a double victory against Coton Sport at the Baba Yara Stadium on Sunday and qualify for the group phase of the CAF
Demetrius Andrade successfully defended his WBO middleweight belt against Artur Akavov Demetrius Andrade had such an easy time in the first defence of his WBO middleweight title that his opponent might have done his best fighting while shoving away the referee who had finally put a stop to it. Andrade sounds ready for something tougher.
Naa Adofoley Nortey, member, Normalisation Committee A member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Normalisation Committee, Naa Odofoley Nortey, says the committee has accepted in good faith the rejection of roles by some appointees who were named last Tuesday to work on the ad-hoc committees to assist the FA caretaker to restructure Ghana football. Less
Canelo Alvarez will return to the ring and the middleweight division to fight Danny Jacobs Canelo Alvarez will return to the ring and the middleweight division on May 4 to fight Danny Jacobs. Alvarez will defend his WBC and WBA titles against IBF champion Jacobs in a match-up between two of the sport’s top performers.
UNDER PRESSURE: Kwasi Appiah, the Head Coach of Ghana’s Black Stars Ghana’s Football Normalization Committee has stated it is fully behind Kwasi Appiah, head coach of the senior men’s national football team, the Black Stars, as he prepares to lead the nation to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. In a press statement
The broadcaster cut away from full coverage of the game to continue the chat with Mourinho Former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has claimed Pep Guardiola andJurgen Klopp were afforded more luxuries than him in the Premier League. The Portuguese highlighted the support Guardiola and Klopp have received in the transfer market since
Ghana’s Normalisation Committee is leading the reemergence of competitive domestic football, missing from the calendar of most fans for the past seven months. Ghana football experienced a historic tsunami that drowned a number of the football hierarchy and exposed hundreds of compromised match officials. The Government of Ghana and the world governing body, Fifa,
The Normalization Committee of the Ghana Football Association has inaugurated six ad hoc committees to aid it execute its mandate. The committees are Domestic Leagues, Communications, National Teams, Technical and Development, Referees, Marketing and Sponsorship. Speaking during the inauguration, the President of the GFA Normalization Committee Dr Kofi Amoah, described members of the ad hoc
Ghana’s sole representatives on the continental stage, Asante Kotoko SC have recorded an impressive 3-2 away win over Cameroonian side Coton Sport. Emmanuel Gyamfi and Maxwell Boakye gave the Porcupine Warriors a 2-0 lead 30 minutes into the game before Kamilou Dauda pulled one back for Coton Sports before the half time break. The Cameroonians
Ranked 3rd by both the IBF and the WBO, Isa Chaniev – 13-1-0 (6KOs) – presents a conceited boxer whose ego exceeds his abilities, having been through no battle, much less war. Chaniev is no elite fighter. At best, he is average, having only experienced skirmishes in the featherweight and superfeatherweight worlds in Russia, a good, mobile boxer,
FIFA-appointed Normalization Committee has lent a hand to organisers of the John Agyekum Kufuor (JAK) Cup scheduled for Sunday, in honour of the ex-president. A release signed by the NC president, Dr Kofi Amoah, said that the Normalization Committee will support the organization of the JAK Cup with ¢25,000. Also, it said the NC will
Ghana’s Richard Commey, for the past three years the subject of the sport’s intrigues particularly against dangerous African fighters, is a lethal weapon. No wonder even some so-called great fighters use every trick outside the ring to avoid getting inside the ring with the Andre Rozier ward. In his first fight under the tutelage of
Even at age 40, Manny Pacquiao is faster than most fighters competing today. During a frenetic workout with trainer Freddie Roach on New Year’s Eve at the hall of famer’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, Pacquiao showed that he has plenty of energy left in the tank. Later this month, he’ll embark on his
THE PRICE IS PROPORTIONATE TO THE PRIZE, THE IMPERATIVE, THE FORCE FOR THE ATTAINMENT OF THE PURPOSE, THE FULFILMENT OF DESTINY. That is the case of Richard Commey, the Ghanaian slugger robbed of justice by ring officials, other pugilists and the International Boxing Federation, the past three years. The operating word, there, is “the past”.
Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew scores their first goal of the game in the 83rd minute to earn the visitors all three points Maybe Jordan Ayew’s ears were burning. With fresh news that Crystal Palace are readying a new bid for Michy Batshuayi, Ayew produced a late finish of composure not seen before this season. The
Ansah puts five-time FIFA World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo through his paces On a freezing night at Millwall, Wayne Rooney and Franck Ribery are given their final instructions before shooting a glitzy World Cup commercial. Rooney is told he should run at the Frenchman but to make sure he stops before
FIFA-appointed Normalization Committee overseeing Ghana Football’s transition to normalcy has come under scrutiny over its perceived secrecy over pecuniary matters. Last week, ekowasmahsports.com managed to book an interview with the NC’s president, Dr. Kofi Amoah, to discuss sundry matters, including transparency, for its readers. Below are some excerpts: EAS: Have you received anything from Fifa?
The miracle at Reus: Players will be paid and they will continue in LaLiga 123 Reus have announced that the club has found the financial resources needed to pay their players and prevent further meltdown at the club. It comes one day after the squad publicly announced that they could look to terminate their contracts due
Group winners (seeded): Barcelona (ESP), Bayern München (GER), Borussia Dortmund (GER), Juventus (ITA), Manchester City (ENG), Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), Porto (POR), Real Madrid (ESP) Group runners-up (unseeded): Ajax (NED), Atlético Madrid (ESP), Liverpool (ENG), Lyon (FRA), Manchester United (ENG), Roma (ITA), Schalke (GER), Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) Draw basics: There are two pots – one of seeded
Nigeria have successfully defended their AWCON trophy, beating South Africa 4-3 on penalties after extra time at the refurbished Accra Sports Stadium. It was a real contest for the bragging rights at the Ghana 2018 AWCON championship, a sweet vengeance for Nigeria who succumbed 0-1 to South Africa in their opening group match at Cape Coast.
Cameroon qualify for second straight FIFA Women’s World Cup Friday’s 4-2 win over Mali secured their ticket to France 2019 Les Lionnes join Nigeria and South Africa in claiming Africa’s three qualification places Cameroon have claimed Africa’s third and final qualification place for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 after earning a 4-2 victory over
It was his last day at the club and he was told Newcastle would sign Gonzalez as a ‘favour’ Kevin Keegan has revealed the baffling circumstances that surrounded Newcastle signing flop Ignacio Gonzalez on loan. The former Newcastle manager eventually exited the club after a second stint in charge in 2008, with issues with