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Prime take with Yoofi Boham | AM Sports (27-10-23)
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Mr. Boham, thank you very much for your time.
00:02 Thank you, you're welcome.
00:04 Thank you, I'm grateful.
00:05 You and your team.
00:06 Thank you, thank you.
00:07 What I walked in, I realized that you wore a shirt that had the inscription "God's team".
00:11 That's right, that's the name branded to a Ghanaian German-born boxer who I handled some time ago.
00:28 That was the insignia of the team when entering the ring.
00:34 That's the power of God.
00:37 What is his name?
00:40 I forgot, he has a German name which is very difficult to pronounce.
00:45 I can understand.
00:47 That's going beyond the borders of Ghana.
00:50 He was a domiciled in Britain.
00:54 Ghanaian mother and German father.
01:01 He had the privilege of contacting me to share his affairs.
01:12 I got him to the WBO International, but he lost.
01:17 Then the interest went away.
01:20 I can clearly understand.
01:24 I'll come to the point of you deciding that you want to do boxing.
01:30 Your early childhood, beginning, what were they like?
01:34 I've never been a fighter.
01:37 My parents knew me at that time to be very timid.
01:43 I've never fought.
01:48 Maybe the street fight?
01:51 The street fight.
01:54 It amazes my parents and my siblings.
01:58 "How did you get into boxing?"
02:02 Which is your main question.
02:05 When I was growing up, my youngest uncle was a street fighter, a boxer.
02:12 He was training in the Secondie Neighbourhood Centre with the legendary Eddie Bley.
02:20 If you've heard the name.
02:22 Eddie Bley was the national champion during the Kwame Nkrumah era.
02:29 An Nzema born Eddie Bley, whose brothers are some in politics right now.
02:38 He was a boxer training in Secondie.
02:42 I used to follow my uncle, my last uncle to the gym.
02:46 I didn't know what it was about at that time.
02:50 Just going in and punching bags and all that.
02:53 But when I entered into my teens,
03:06 then a friend of mine who was a taboso kind was running a gym.
03:16 I happened to be close to him, called EJ Dio Sabuti.
03:24 He was a customs officer.
03:27 He happened to have been transferred out of Accra.
03:33 He said, "I would like someone to look after the gym for me."
03:40 I devoted myself and was visiting the gym, attending to the training sessions of the boxers.
03:49 Gradually, through that, I became the representative of the gym
03:56 on the Great Accra Boxing Association meeting.
04:02 So, attending the meetings gradually.
04:05 There I got to meet the late Roy Ankrah.
04:10 They all came to like me.
04:15 I ended up being voted into the Great Accra Association.
04:22 From there, gradually, gradually, gradually,
04:27 I was approached with two boxers to manage and promote.
04:37 So the promotion made me to register a promotion company at that time to promote the two boxers.
04:49 He is a tandaie now of Akinpoku.
04:56 And then the late Remo Sajari.
04:59 They were then being trained by the late Surprise Osowa.
05:04 Surprise Osowa, you know, around the Bukom area, Sualaba.
05:10 That's where the gym was. The gym was in a house.
05:13 You can't believe it.
05:15 It's not a gym, but in a house, a cemented house.
05:19 And when you enter there, there you see Roy Ankrah came out from that gym.
05:28 You have Tukwe Kloti.
05:30 Most of the Ghanaian boxers were all trained by this Surprise Osowa.
05:36 So, together we worked and then promoted tandaie, Remo Sajari.
05:44 They all became national champions.
05:47 And that was the era of retired Major Amaka Amatefu.
05:56 That was his era.
05:59 So they became national champions.
06:02 Then with tandaie, became the Commonwealth featherweight champion.
06:08 From there, became the Commonwealth super featherweight champion.
06:14 And that was a history.
06:17 Because no individual had won two Commonwealth titles or held two Commonwealth titles before.
06:26 Roy Ankrah was featherweight.
06:28 Those who went in lightweight, middleweight and all that.
06:32 But tandaie became the first Ghanaian ever under my management.
06:37 Remo Sajari became a national champion.
06:40 And Major retired Amaka Amatefu brought in an opportunity for Remo Sajari
06:50 to be the first in the world to fight for the WBC International Championship.
06:58 That was the time that the WBC International Championship had been instituted.
07:04 So, Sajari was to be the first to fight for that title, the whole world.
07:10 We had the approval from Suleyman, the late Suleyman, WBC president at that time.
07:17 And we were to make, do an elimination here.
07:24 Very, very unfortunately, a week to the fight date, Remo Sajari got stabbed in the rib.
07:34 So, the fight had to be put off.
07:38 And it was put off for one year.
07:40 But you know, the boxing world or the sporting world, no one waits for anyone.
07:44 So, that opportunity left the shores of Ghana.
07:51 After one year, we did the fight.
07:55 Sajari had then recovered.
07:57 But I think his strength had then diminished.
08:03 And he happened to be the first Kwamubong boxer.
08:07 He was a Kwamubong.
08:10 Tandaie was an Atimpuku, that is a Kwamubong.
08:14 He was then supported by Kenne Grant, who became a PNDC secretary.
08:25 No, not PNDC, it was under Achiampo, secretary for health.
08:31 He happened to be marrying an Akwamuledi.
08:35 So, they came together and then were supporting Tandaie.
08:38 When he's fighting, you can imagine the euphoria that is created by these Kwamubongs.
08:43 And the father coming around with his walking stick.
08:47 And all the Bukom guys thought it was a juju.
08:51 This is quite an interesting one.
08:56 But in your narration of all this, we know Bukom, or maybe it is perceived that Bukom is the factory for the production of boxing.
09:07 The maker of boxing in Ghana.
09:09 But, when I saw your tale, you spoke about Izume, you spoke about Kwemu.
09:18 I'm beginning to wonder, how come?
09:21 And in fact, where were you born yourself?
09:24 Yes, I was born on 23rd January, 23rd January 1948.
09:30 So, I'm now approaching my 76th birthday.
09:35 That's coming this January.
09:39 My mother's birthday and my birthday is two weeks apart.
09:46 Exactly two weeks.
09:48 My mother being January 9th, and me January 23rd.
09:53 So, we are two weeks apart.
09:56 So, were you born in Accra?
09:58 Second day, Takrade.
09:59 So, you grew up in Second day, Takrade?
10:01 Second day, Takrade.
10:02 I went to school there, and then grew up to be meeting Eddie Bley as a boxer, training alongside my uncle.
10:14 So, let me have something very clear.
10:17 It means that even your elementary education was also in Takrade?
10:20 Second day, Takrade.
10:21 That's where my parents were.
10:24 So, I'm Second day, Takrade born, but the name Boham are all Elmina citizens.
10:35 Oh, okay.
10:36 Kukusta Elmina.
10:37 Oh, okay.
10:38 That's right.
10:39 So, we are from Elmina, but born in Second day, Takrade.
10:42 So, what does the Boham mean?
10:44 Boham, I learned, it's a colonial, one of the colonial masters' names.
10:51 So, the Elmina Castle.
10:54 No wonder you colonized boxing.
10:55 That's right.
10:57 We have the Elmina Castle, the Cape Coast Castle.
11:00 In Cape Coast, our family house, it's across our family house and then the Cape Coast Castle.
11:07 Oh, okay.
11:08 It's the first ever, ever, ever, ever, ever sports field to come up in the Gold Coast.
11:18 And that's called the Victoria Park at Cape Coast.
11:22 That was the park or the field on which the colonial masters started playing football.
11:30 Oh, okay.
11:31 But since you have a colonial master name, it means that your background was very good.
11:35 You grew up from a home that had cash, money.
11:39 Not exactly, but somehow.
11:42 [inaudible]
11:46 That's right.
11:47 How would you describe that early beginning of your life?
11:50 Right.
11:51 It was a bit robust.
11:54 You know, Second day, Takrade isn't a place of, at that time, you know, the main, the main occupation or job opportunity there was the harbor.
12:11 The second day, the Takrade Harbor.
12:14 That's right.
12:15 My uncles, you know, were working at the harbor, the job in ships and all that.
12:22 And we, the kids, also, you know, we'd be going to the beaches.
12:32 And then, you know, I, for instance, I grew up by going to the tennis court and then be catching tennis balls, the long tennis.
12:44 Yes.
12:45 Which a place called, we call them that place Beach Road at Takrade.
12:50 And you do that to earn some money.
12:55 Then go into graphic selling.
12:58 I see.
12:59 Yes.
13:02 Early morning, you go and pick, collect your newspapers and then sell before you go to school.
13:09 While growing old, you have chores in the house.
13:13 You have to get up early in the morning, do your chores, go and collect your graphic, sell, and as quickly as possible so that you get the opportunity to go to school.
13:25 You see that it was a very robust life from the beginning.
13:30 In the morning, if you don't do that, you don't get the extra money for your pocket.
13:34 Okay.
13:35 Yes.
13:36 So, well.
13:37 That's how you describe it.
13:38 Yes.
13:39 What is that thing that you did during your childhood days where you look back at yourself and you go like, oh, did I actually do this?
13:48 Very interesting.
13:49 Very, very interesting.
13:50 Yes.
13:53 I was an athlete most of the --
13:55 Yes, I was an athlete doing the sprints.
13:59 Okay.
14:00 And right now, childhood, I started after the day nursery, I entered elementary class one.
14:10 There about at the Howard Memorial Primary School at Takrade.
14:14 This school, it's supposed to be the state transport at Takrade.
14:17 Okay.
14:18 From there, advanced to the Casely Hayford Memorial and left Takrade straight away to Insawam.
14:29 Yes.
14:30 My uncle picked me to Insawam.
14:32 Right.
14:33 At Takrade with the athletics.
14:35 Yes.
14:36 That propelled me to a higher level in sports.
14:44 So, you were famous?
14:48 Well, not that famous.
14:49 But as a talented athlete, probably they picked you up from there.
14:54 Yes, but there was one guy, one guy who I could never, never, never, never, never beat.
14:59 And that really pained me because I was always second to him.
15:04 Okay.
15:05 I try as I did, I never.
15:08 So, in sports, that was my main disappointment for not --
15:12 So, what did you do?
15:15 I had to be content with my position as second.
15:20 But off the track as an athlete, what is that childhood thing that you did?
15:24 You go like, maybe go to your mother's bag and pick her quails or what?
15:28 Oh.
15:29 Did you do that?
15:30 Oh, yes.
15:31 You cannot run away from that.
15:34 My mother grew up by learning how to bake from my grandmother.
15:44 Okay.
15:45 Yes.
15:46 No, they were born in Nsawam.
15:47 Oh, okay.
15:48 So, that was my -- the trade of my grandmother, bread and cake baking.
15:56 And that was taken over by my mother.
15:58 Okay.
15:59 Now, first they were busy baking.
16:07 You see Takrade Polytechnic.
16:11 Yeah.
16:12 Opposite Takrade Polytechnic, it's a very -- was a very big swampy area.
16:18 Oh, okay.
16:20 And that leads to another place known as New Takrade.
16:26 Okay.
16:27 So, we always pray for rain.
16:32 And that's where we go for crab trapping.
16:35 Oh, okay.
16:36 Crab, the red one.
16:38 Yes.
16:39 With the -- that piercing.
16:44 So, we went catching the crab.
16:49 And one time the crab, we stood, stood, stood, and something said, "Oh, try and then use your hand, dip your hand into the hole."
16:59 Bah!
17:03 I put my hand and the crab was hanging there.
17:06 And I was shouting, shouting.
17:09 I said, "What?"
17:11 Okay.
17:13 Then I was able to be rescued.
17:15 Yeah.
17:16 And we got to -- if you do mention, you'll be --
17:20 Lashed.
17:21 Ah, you'll be lashed in addition to the pain.
17:24 So, I kept it to myself.
17:26 But then I was suffering.
17:29 So, at the end of the day, it was detected that this is what I wasn't doing.
17:34 And I was really slashed, lashed to the core.
17:40 The second one was when we go to school, we pass by this kebab shop, Chichinga.
17:52 So, we collect the tidbits and then have it as a kebab on the kebab stick.
18:00 We place it.
18:01 Then we will be roasting it gradually.
18:06 First one, we'll be turning the kebab.
18:08 Yes.
18:09 And then we'll also be fanning it with your mouth.
18:12 You have to blow the air.
18:13 Yes, blow the air so that --
18:16 So, it came to my turn.
18:19 When it came to my turn, I was blowing the air.
18:22 Then someone kicked the other party and the fire straight away, oh, to my mouth.
18:30 What blisters and everything.
18:32 Yeah, how do I go home?
18:34 How can I -- what do I say?
18:37 Well, I go home all right.
18:40 What's wrong with you?
18:41 Couldn't talk.
18:43 What's wrong?
18:44 Couldn't talk.
18:45 Third one, oh, you are about to receive slaps.
18:48 Then I said, no, this is what happened when we went to school.
18:51 Instead of going to school, oh, so you are those kobolos.
18:56 You're learning to be a kobolo.
18:58 Early morning, I was smashed to school.
19:02 Complaint was made to the headmaster.
19:05 Headmaster went to the class and asked for all those who were in my company.
19:14 And that became a very big problem because all those involved, their parents were invited to the school, and I really regretted.
19:23 Everybody was punished.
19:25 Everybody, including me, who was even having my blisters.
19:31 Those things actually taught you loads of lessons.
19:35 Oh, yes, yes, yes.
19:36 You know, to talk about it and laugh.
19:38 Yes.
19:39 I have only one classmate in Thakaradi who used to call me.
19:44 When he calls me, then, you know, we laugh about it.
19:48 Yeah, you laugh about all the things that he laughs about.
19:50 When my little brother would come to the class and then be shouting, "Yofi, Yofi, Yofi," that afloat.
20:00 The class teacher would ask, "Hey, where is he from?"
20:03 He came all the way from the house to the class.
20:07 That afloat.
20:08 Yeah, that afloat.
20:09 For what?
20:10 Nobody knows.
20:13 Up to today, my friend would mention it when he calls me on the phone.
20:18 That afloat.
20:19 That afloat, you know, athletics afloat.
20:21 Afloat.
20:22 So why did you do the athletics more?
20:24 No, actually, I stopped it. I lost interest in it.
20:30 What happened?
20:32 Well, I lost interest in it and rather stick to table tennis.
20:41 Table tennis, okay.
20:42 Yes, stick to table tennis.
20:44 I go right from Nsang'o back to Takrade and all that. Table tennis was the game that I loved.
20:54 And in table tennis, you came to Accra.
20:56 Yes.
20:57 In fact, you didn't even go to the factory for production of boxes.
20:59 No, no.
21:00 But you went in there to do boxing.
21:01 That's right.
21:02 That's what followed.
21:03 Well, when I handled those boxes, I never regretted. That's Tondaye. They made me to be very popular.
21:15 The fraternity, you know.
21:19 So was that the foundation of your decision to go like, okay, let me go all out into boxing?
21:27 Because you talk about athletics. You've spoken about tennis.
21:30 Tennis, yes.
21:31 But you switched...
21:32 To boxing.
21:33 To boxing.
21:34 Yes.
21:35 And it is boxing that you actually built a wonderful career for yourself.
21:38 That's right.
21:39 So let me have a perfect picture. How long did your friend, Ataboso Okai, leave the gym for you to manage that you were able to do?
21:48 Well, he went on transfer, even though the place was his family home.
21:53 Oh, okay.
21:54 He went on transfer. He was on transfer. And so I handled it for a couple of years, about almost 10 years.
22:01 Oh, okay.
22:02 Till he came back.
22:03 Okay.
22:04 Yes. And he became a referee judge of boxing as well.
22:10 Oh, okay.
22:11 E.J. Diosabute. He's known in the boxing fraternity.
22:14 Was he excited to see what you do?
22:17 Oh, yes. Yes. He's excited up to today, even though he's now an invalid.
22:23 Yes.
22:24 And retired invalid. But he was very excited because I was promoting his boxes, managing them, including those that I was managing from Surprise.
22:39 And his past boxers, Peter Inisa and all that in those days, all became national champions through me.
22:49 Now, come to talk, it's from there that, well, came in Aikote and Afrokote.
22:59 Afrokote. I'll come to that. But tell me, how were you spotting the talents, knowing that this person has got a talent and has a career?
23:09 Well, not that I was gifted by magic or anything to spot the talent. It's, you know, most of the time the coaches will recommend the boxers.
23:26 Oh, this chap is a promising chap and he needs help. Oh, is that so? Fine. Let me go into give the nursery help.
23:42 I was then in the commerce field. Yes, I was into importing and exporting. And I had passion. The passion grew by itself.
23:53 So you also had money to invest? Yes. So the passion grew by itself. And, you know, when I was approached with Aikote and Afrokote,
24:07 I said, no, it's something which I felt was too, would be too difficult for me to manage because I had then not had all the nursery experience.
24:24 Were they already top quality boxers? They were from the Olympics. I signed them on straight from the Olympics. And they were top Ghanaian boxers who,
24:38 Amarkai Amate, the late, no, no, the retired Amarkai, had sponsored to Cuba as amateurs. Sponsored to Cuba. They were in the national team.
24:56 And Amarkai was very, very particular about those two boys. You see, and I had come to, Amarkai had come to like me very much.
25:11 So he said, Yoshi, take on these boys, handle them, because there are a lot of parasites around.
25:21 We will only go in, sign the boys, and at the end of the day, we'll be pursuing their own personal interests. And you get them, you know, destroyed.
25:34 So it was Amarkai personally who gave them the boxers? That's right, Amarkai. But then they were under the management of,
25:41 Lowe's management, under some other guys from Mampu B. So I went in, and that was the time that BrainCraft's promotion was handling Azuma Nelson and Nanai Aokunedu.
26:02 Boxers. That's right. And they happened to be very close friends of mine, BrainCraft, because they were all friends to my brother-in-law way back in the US.
26:16 So at events, we all sit behind a table and then chat together. At that time was this, the present Golden Tulip, which has been renamed. That's where we used to meet.
26:39 So they were approached, and they said, "Oh, your field has toiled with these two boxers. The top level one could go was the Commonwealth, that is Tondae.
26:56 Ajare became a victim of stabbing. So the advice I should take on the two boys, who were then fresh from the Olympics, having fought one or two."
27:13 Which year was this?
27:14 Oh, in fact, yes.
27:16 It should be the early 1990s.
27:18 Yes. So I took them on with the advice of a son of the late E.C. Kwee, who is now in Chicago. He was by name Abando. He was 100% for the boys.
27:43 So with him, we set up a gym. And then there was a gym already ongoing, that is Akutuku Gym, which was set up by the late Atukwe Klote.
27:58 And that gym was producing tough boxers. Atukwe Klote had already produced three of his sons, Joshua Klote and two other Klotes.
28:27 They were all three, and they were well-titled promising boxers. But very unfortunately, they all fell by the wayside.
28:38 And that was the era of the beginning of Azuma Nelson as well.
28:44 Okay.
28:45 You see, Azuma started under a coach and then graduated to Atukwe Klote.
28:55 Okay.
28:56 Yes. So that was where Amaka, Amatefu and some other dignitaries came together to be managing the Akutuku Academy.
29:10 Oh, okay.
29:11 So Azuma passed through that academy, passed through Atukwe Klote, under the hands of Atukwe Klote, alongside the three Klotes.
29:23 Judas Klote, Thunder Klote.
29:25 Oh, okay.
29:26 Yes. And then...
29:27 Joshua.
29:28 That's right. Not Joshua. Joshua is...
29:30 He's young.
29:31 Yes, very, very young.
29:32 He's young also.
29:33 He was in TV, I think.
29:35 I can imagine.
29:37 Yes. So these Klotes were, the three Klotes and Azuma Nelson, were the bright stars for the country in those days.
29:49 Well, they fell by the wayside. They all travelled the state, in the Diaspora, UK for instance.
29:57 And I happened to have the privilege of visiting the gym in UK, the Thomas Sebeke Gym, which had Atukwe Klote's man-sized image.
30:13 Okay.
30:14 And that was where my boxers were lodging and then training.
30:20 That's right. Kishmila, Tondaye, that's where they were all lodging. Yes.
30:27 So, with that, I came to manage them, then started to climb the ladder.
30:39 That was the era that South African apartheid was...
30:43 Okay.
30:44 Really.
30:45 Yeah. At its peak.
30:46 So, I had to... You can't do boxing alone. I had to rely on friends outside.
30:55 And the main friend that I relied on was the late Andre Kufi, who went by the name, the Black Cat.
31:05 Okay, okay. Yeah.
31:06 Yes.
31:07 Quite a familiar name.
31:08 That's right. Andre Kufi. He was a goalkeeper.
31:11 A guy who kept the push surface and take out of it.
31:15 Yeah. That's why I say it's a very familiar name.
31:17 That's right. And then...
31:20 In fact, stories has it that he was that goalkeeper that even if he concedes a penalty, he would tell him...
31:25 Even if the aggregate is doing a penalty, he would let him take the penalty and catch it.
31:28 That's right.
31:29 And he would catch it.
31:30 That's right. And he was one person who, with Pili, not Ghana Pili.
31:38 Yeah. World Pili.
31:39 World Pili set up the Santos Professional Soccer Club.
31:45 There is a new picture of all of them in.
31:48 Oh, okay.
31:49 So, back in US, through him, I met Pili.
31:53 Oh, okay.
31:54 Yes. I met Pili in New York. We all had a good time.
31:58 Yeah.
31:59 Yes. That was when I was negotiating to get Icoti and Afrocoti to the US.
32:07 Oh, okay.
32:09 So, it was there. Now, I was able to get Andre Kofi. I do send him.
32:15 In those days, communication wasn't as easy as today.
32:19 I do get him to visit the IBF, the BBC, conferences and all that.
32:27 But then, IBF had its headquarters in New Jersey.
32:31 Oh, okay.
32:32 And Andre was living in New Jersey. So, I do send him messages.
32:36 Send him to the New Jersey office.
32:39 Okay.
32:40 And he presents it. And so, through this, I was able to get the two boys around
32:47 and then started climbing the ladder of all the four world bodies.
32:52 Oh, okay.
32:53 IBF was then, all the three world bodies. The BBO was then new.
32:59 Okay.
33:00 But the three major bodies were the WBC, WBA and IBF.
33:04 IBF.
33:06 So, IBF, office in New Jersey, gave Andre Kofi an easy access to the office.
33:17 So, we were able to get the boys around.
33:22 Now, with the apartheid, you have WBA with the apartheid, WBC, IBF.
33:29 We're not.
33:30 We're not. We didn't have in South Africa in their good books.
33:37 So, that was the time that you can't travel from Ghana to South Africa.
33:44 You have to pass through London.
33:46 So, I was able to get the boys around and around by WBA as well.
33:56 One morning, I received a phone call, invited to the ministries.
34:02 And that was the time Castle 2 was there.
34:07 I had to answer as to how the boys got to be ranked at the WBA.
34:13 Because Ghana is not to be with the WBA because of apartheid.
34:21 And it was a hell.
34:24 It was a hell for me.
34:26 Well, it ended peacefully.
34:32 And we started, you know, we kept on going.
34:37 Got all the nursery documents and put in the visas, application.
34:46 It took one year for us to receive approval for them to go for their visas.
34:54 In that, then Aikote was lured by Raincraft.
35:01 That is how I got to lose Aikote.
35:05 How disappointed was that?
35:07 Were you disappointed you lost him?
35:09 Oh, yes. I was disappointed.
35:12 My spouse at that time took all the papers heading towards the court
35:19 to restrain Aikote from fighting.
35:22 Now, the manager in US, Fred Berg, the late Fred Berg,
35:27 meanwhile also took up the matter in US.
35:31 And any time that Aik was fighting, Fred would issue summons.
35:37 He was a Jew.
35:40 Did you have a contract with Aikote?
35:42 Oh, yes.
35:43 And it was going for how many years?
35:45 Initially, it's always for four years.
35:47 Either three or four in those days.
35:49 In those days.
35:50 Yes.
35:51 And it means that he breached the contract?
35:52 Oh, yes. Yes.
35:55 So, why did he breach the contract? Did he compensate you?
35:57 Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
35:59 I didn't receive even a penny.
36:01 Yes. I didn't receive even a penny.
36:04 It wasn't a breach which was just smoothly done.
36:10 It was rough.
36:12 You know, it was something which was really...
36:16 I took the boys to the UK for Alfred Commonwealth Championship fight.
36:23 So, the boys were... they grew up as if they were siblings.
36:31 Because of the pronunciation of their names, a lot of people thought they were brothers.
36:36 Kote and Kote.
36:37 Kote, yes.
36:38 Okay.
36:39 But Kote is K-O-T-E-Y.
36:41 Kote is Q-U-A-R-T-E-Y.
36:44 So, when we went for the Commonwealth Championship,
36:50 that was the first Commonwealth title fight amongst the two.
36:57 So, they fought each other?
36:58 No, no, no. Amongst the two.
36:59 For the two.
37:01 So, straight away, I called Kote to tell me that...
37:05 and that was my mistake...
37:07 that a friend of mine, Aladji Hartz...
37:11 Aladji Hartz, former of Hasslepool?
37:13 Oh, yes.
37:14 Aladji Hartz has gracefully told him that he will fund his ticket to London.
37:23 So, he can... he will go along.
37:27 I said, okay, because Aladji Hartz had been my friend for many years.
37:31 When he was a ball boy and all that, he was my friend during those days.
37:37 And so, I agreed.
37:41 And that was my downfall.
37:43 That's how he was lured away from you?
37:45 Yes.
37:46 We all went to UK to support Alfred Kote.
37:53 After the fight, Alfred won.
37:57 They should come home, and Isaac and then the coach, Oko Dhamte, decided to stay back.
38:04 Oko Dhamte wasn't a coach. I made him a coach.
38:09 I made him a coach bureaucratically.
38:15 Which has a meaning. When I say bureaucratically, on paper.
38:19 Maybe the literal meaning of bureaucracy is different from what you are saying.
38:24 Yes. All that what I did was, there were four.
38:29 With the late Isaka, Ibu Isaka and all that.
38:34 Kofi Kui, there were four boxes.
38:36 Kofi Kui, Ibu Isaka, Ikote, Alfred Kote, in that gym.
38:41 And I happened to handle all the four.
38:44 Now, that gym had Atukwe Kote's son, Philip Kote, as the coach.
38:54 And all along, Oko Dhamte had been their friend.
38:58 So, you had a suspicion that Oko Dhamte played a role in how Ikote left?
39:05 No. He didn't play a role at all.
39:12 Honestly, he didn't.
39:15 But what I did was, for us to have easy documentation for visas and all that,
39:29 I worked out, I made it, I prepared it.
39:34 In those days, not today, like today's bus ride.
39:37 I prepared it and put a trainer's name under it and signed.
39:43 So, I allotted Oko Dhamte's name to Ike's record.
39:52 And that of Alfred Kote was Philip Kote.
39:58 So, that application goes to the embassy.
40:03 And each boxer has his trainer.
40:10 So, how did you resolve the issue with Ikote?
40:13 No. My wife had wanted to go to court.
40:18 But then, we were having one elder, O'Hara Jackson Davis, who was a WBC refugee.
40:30 And O'Hara happened to be a lodge member of my father-in-law.
40:35 And just entering the court premises, he met my spouse.
40:41 "Oh, where are you going?" Because he knows my spouse.
40:46 Because my spouse and he were lodge members.
40:52 Lodge. In those days, we had lodges.
40:55 So, she said, "Oh, what has happened is what he's sending there.
41:01 Someone's to court. He's been prepared."
41:04 He said, "No, no, no, no. Don't go. Come. We'll talk about it."
41:08 So, the issue was resolved at the court?
41:11 Not resolved. She came and she followed him.
41:14 And there was a standstill.
41:17 So, a fight was to happen, which was to be promoted by Raincraft.
41:22 That was, I think, African title.
41:25 And I quickly prepared an injunction.
41:30 [no dialogue]
41:35 [music]
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