On this day 29 January 2005 (Exactly 14 years ago) Former IBF junior middleweight champion Kassim Ouma picked up an easy victory coasting to a 12-round decision over Kofi Jantuah at the Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA, for the IBF World Super Welterweight title.
Quicker and more aggressive, then 26-year-old left-hander started slowly, taking two solid lefts to the head from Jantuah in the first round, but looking no worse for the wear.
Ouma (21-1-1) dominated after that, using his superior quickness and stamina to keep the taller Jantuah, who had a 3-inch height advantage, on his heels.
By the fourth round, Jantuah was heavy-legged and passive, and his head shook after Ouma connected. Showing no energy on defense, he could only hope for a lucky knockout as he swung wildly at the faster Ouma.
Ouma, a native Ugandan who lives in West. Palm Beach, Fla., opened a cut over Jantuah’s right eye but couldn’t manage a knockout. But it wasn’t for lack of trying as he connected on 502 of 1,088 punches, according to punch statistics kept at ringside.
“I was faster than him and I was slicker than him,” Ouma said. “I was kind of surprised how easy it was. I thought it would be more difficult. Bring on who’s next.”
Ouma out-landed Jantuah 502-to-254 in overall connections, according to unofficial CompuBox statistics, and 379-to-211 in power punches.
“My timing wasn’t what I wanted,” Jantuah said. “You can’t get him with one shot and I couldn’t put my punches together.”
The Jantuah-Ouma match marked the first recognized title bout between African-born fighters since June 24, 1957, when Nigeria’s Hogan “Kid” Bassey beat Algeria’s Cherif Hamia by 10th-round technical knockout to take the vacant world featherweight title in Paris.
On this day 29 January 2011(Exactly 8 years ago) World championship aspirant Braimah “Bukom Banku” Kamoko added the interim WBO Africa Light-heavyweight championship belt to his title collections after decisively beating Uruguay challenger Jorge Oliveira Rodriguez in the topliner of the GoldenMike Boxing Promotions event dubbed ‘Night of no return’ in Accra.
An ardent football fan himself, Kamoko popularly called Bukom Banku made his entry into the ring clad in a Black Stars jersey with a soccer ball, announcing his determination to take his own and the nation’s revenge for the bizarre loss to Rodriguez’s Uruguay in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Luis Suarez is a cursed name on Ghanaian lips for handling Dominic Adiyiah’s goal-bound header on the stroke of full time of extra time of the quarter final clash in South Africa.
“A lion is a lion so what the Uruguayans did was an abomination in sport and I was very devastated that day. So if by God’s grace I’m fighting an opponent from that country, then I have to punish and beat him mercilessly. Its revenge time for the Black Stars,” Kamoko had told the press at the pre-fight weigh-in a day before the fight.
And on the night of the bout at the plush Accra International Conference Centre in front of a distinguished audience that included Ghana’s Vice President John Mahama, Bukom Banku more than delivered on his promise as he pummeled the hapless Olivera right from the first bell until the Uruguayan could not take it any longer but throw in the towel inside round 4 of the scheduled 12-rounder.
“I say I am ready to be a world champ so I am sending a message to the rest of the boxing world to make it happen. I want any of the IBF, WBC or WBO champions, I am more than ready to dethrone them and unify the titles,” Kamoko declared
On this day 29 January 2012 (Exactly 7 years ago) The Black Queens of Ghana trounced their opponents from Mali 5-0 in the second leg of the preliminary round
of the 2012 Africa Women Championship (AWC) qualifiers at the Accra Sports Stadium
The huge score line granted the Queens an 8-0 aggregate to advanced to the next stage of the qualifiers after beating the Malians 3-0 in the first leg played in the Malian capital Bamako two weeks earlier .
Goal Scorers : Portia Boakye 33 , 69 Safia Abdul Rahman 44 ,54 Florence Okoe 74
The Queens faced Cameroon in the last stage of the qualifiers , and for the first time they failed to qualify for the AWC , hosted by Equatorial Guinea later in the year.
On this day 29 January 2017 (Exactly 2 years ago) Jordan and Andre Ayew scored for Ghana as they reached the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals with a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in Oyem.
Jordan opened the scoring after 63 minutes of a tight, bruising quarter-final in northern Gabon and Andre put Ghana ahead again from a 78th-minute penalty.
Between the Ayew goals, Paul-Jose Mpoku levelled for DR Congo with a swerving shot on 68 minutes.
On this day 29 January 1968 (Exactly 51 years ago) 12- times Grand Slam singles champion and former world number one, Billie Jean King of America beat home favourite Margaret Court 6-1, 6-2 for her 4th Grand Slam and only Australian Open Women’s singles title.
On this day 29 January 1989 (Exactly 30 years ago) Ivan Lendl won his first Australian title; beats fellow Czech Miloslav Mecii 6-2, 6-2, 6-2
On this day 29 January 1995 (Exactly 24 years ago) Andre Agassi defeated defending champion Pete Sampras 4–6, 6–1, 7–6, 6–4 in the final to win the Men’s Singles tennis title at the Australian Open. Agassi competed in the Australian Open this season for the first time in his career. He would go on to win three more in 2000, 2001, and 2003.
On this day 29 January 2000 (Exactly 19 years ago) American Lindsay Davenport claimed her 3rd and final career Grand Slam title with victory over Martina Hingis 6-1, 7-5 at the Australian Open final.
On this day 22 January 2005 (Exactly 14 years ago) In an all-American final Serena Williams staged a remarkable recovery to beat Lindsay Davenport and win her second Australian Open title
The 2003 champion claimed her seventh Grand Slam title, and her first since Wimbledon in 2003, 2-6 6-3 6-0.
On this day 29 January 2006 (Exactly 13 years ago) Roger Federer overcame a mighty scare to beat unseeded 20-year-old Marcos Baghdatis and claimed his second Australian Open title in
Melbourne.
The former world number one was in serious trouble at a set and a break down but held his nerve.
He reeled off 11 games as Baghdatis tired, and the Cypriot needed treatment on his calf in the closing set.
Federer, however, got stronger as the match went on, winning 5-7 7-5 6-0 6-2 for his seventh Grand Slam title
On this day 29 January 2011( Exactly 8 years ago) Kim Clijsters drew on her huge wealth of experience to ride out a Li Na storm and claim her maiden Australian Open title by shattering China’s dream of a first grand slam champion.
The Belgian battled back after dropping the first set to beat Li 3-6 6-3 6-3 in an intense final and win her fourth major title, her third since her return from retirement and a first outside the U.S. Open.
On this day 29 January 2012 (Exactly 7 years ago) Novak Djokovic cemented his place at the top of men’s tennis by outlasting Rafael Nadal in a five-set epic to retain his Australian Open title.
The world number one edged a gripping battle with the second seed 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 in five hours 53 minutes to win his fifth Grand Slam.
To date it is the longest Grand Slam singles final in duration in the Open Era, 5 hours 53 minutes
On this day 29 January 2017 (Exactly 2 years ago) Roger Federer won his 18th Grand Slam title and first for five years with a thrilling five-set victory over Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final.
Then 35-year-old Swiss won 6-4 3-6 6-1 3-6 6-3 to claim his fifth Melbourne title and extend his lead at the top of the all-time men’s major winners’ list.
I’ve been coming here for almost 20 years now,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed it and now my family does too.
“Thanks again for everything, to everybody. I hope to see you next year. If not, this was a wonderful run here and I can’t be more happy to win.”
On this day 29 January 2000 (Exactly 19 years ago) Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz became the 3rd player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points; finished with 35 in a 96-94 loss to Minnesota; behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Wilt Chamberlain (31,419)
On this day 29 January 2018 (Exactly a year ago) Former England captain David Beckham launched his long-planned Major League Soccer team in Miami.
Beckham exercised an option in his contract with former side LA Galaxy to buy an expansion franchise in 2014.
“I’m excited to bring this great team to this great city – it has been a hell of a journey,” said former Manchester United midfielder Beckham, 42.
“I promise you the team we will bring into the league will be the best team.”
