Ben Nunoo Mensah, President of the Ghana Olympic Committee, has dismissed reports that Samuel Takyi was dropped from the boxers that will be representing Ghana at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Media reports suggest that the boxer was removed from the list due to his demand for the remaining balance of $20,000 promised by President Alufo-Addo after winning bronze at the last Olympic games.
Bernard Quartey, President of the Ghana Boxing Federation, is reported to have stated that boxer Samuel Taykyi will not be part of Ghana’s team for the 2024 Olympics qualifiers because they were unable to meet his demands.
Mr. Nunoo Mensah clarified that the boxer did not justify his inclusion in the 2024 boxer qualification list.
He stated that one of the most difficult challenges the boxer faced was his decision to turn professional after returning from Olympic glory.
He claimed that after learning that his counterparts were earning Ghc9,000 per month, the bover rescinded his decision to go pro and wanted to return to Black Bombers.
He explained that the boxer came to his house and told him [Nunoo Mensah] that he wanted to return to the team, ”but if you want to return, you must justify your inclusion and earn your spot. Another boxer at his weight is doing exceptionally well. So, before heading to Dakar, the best would have to be chosen. So the coach and the GBA President proposed that Takyi and the other boxer, Jaguar, slug it out so we could pick the best, but Samuel Takyi never showed up for the selection process”.
”These are the underlying factors, and if someone comes out to make these claims, of course, the boxer has denied making these claims, so let’s end it here. There are several issues surrounding Samuel Takyi, and if we reveal them all, we will say a lot. The most important thing is for us to assist the young boxer. People will try to play with the boxers’ intelligence and mislead them when they are young, and they will almost certainly make these mistakes. He wants to fight for Ghana, so let us assist him. That should be the primary focus,” he said on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm.
By: Rashid Obodai Provencal/Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
