On this day 17 February 1995 (Exactly 26 years ago today) Ghana’s Alfred “Cobra” Kotey retained his World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Bantamweight title with a fourth-round knockout win over Drew Docherty of Scotland at the Tryst Sports Centre, Cumbernauld, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Kotey dominated the fight throughout the four rounds despite Docherty’s home support.
Kotey’s excellent jabbings backed by occasional hefty punches baffled Docherty who had to rely on the ropes to prevent him from visiting the canvas during the first two rounds.
The Scout tried to counter in the second round but the champion thwarted his efforts with a couple of body punches.
Docherty could not impress his country men as he could not match his opponent’s skills.
The champion silenced the Scottish fans with devastating blows to Docherty in the third and fourth rounds to the cheers of a few Ghanaians who included Mr Ken Dadzie, Ghana’s High Commissioner in London.
It was no surprise to the large Scottish fans that Docherty could not survive the fourth round following a sharp right hook to the jaw.
This was Kotey’s second defence of the title he won the previous year.
Elsewhere;
On this day 17 February 2013 (Exactly 8 years ago today) Asante Kotoko eased to a comfortable 7-0 win over Sony Ela Nguema at the Baba Yara Stadium in the CAF Champions League preliminary round first leg qualifier.
The win at the Baba Yara Stadium is still the biggest victory for Kotoko in CAF Inter – Club Competitions and all competitive matches under coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani.
Kofi Nti Boakye opened the scoring for Kotoko, thirteen minutes into the start of the match before Abdul Aziz Yusif doubled their lead after 29 minutes.
Kotoko finished the first half 4-nil up with midfielder Michael Anaba and Nti Boakye scoring the third and fourth goals.
Back from the break, Kotoko had to wait until the 70th minute before they scored their fifth goal through Richard Mpong.
Substitute Seidu Bancey after a flurry of misses finally found the back of the net. Then in the 89th minute, Joseph Ochaya put the gloss to the finish when he slotted home the seventh.
On this day 17 February 2008 (Exactly 13 years ago today) FC105 Libreville beat Ghana’s former winners Hearts of Oak 3-0 in the African Champions League , a week after one of the Gabon army club’s players died in a domestic league match.
The Gabon champions, forced to play the continental competition match despite the death a week earlier of international Guy Tchingoma, were easy winners of the first round, first leg tie played in Libreville.
Lenga Basto opened the scoring for FC105 in the 40th minute followed by a 65th minute goal by Cedric Mintsa and a penalty 10 minutes later from Juste Freddy Alomo.
On this day 17 February 1974 (Exactly 47 years ago today) Almost 48-50 people died in stampede at soccer match in Cairo, Egypt
ZAMALEK STADIUM – CAIRO, EGYPT
Date: February 17, 1974
Death toll: 48-50
The Zamalek disaster occurred when fans were crushed before a football friendly match at the Zamalek Stadium in Cairo between Zamalek SC of Egypt and Dukla Prague of Czechoslovakia.
The total death toll is reported variously as 48 to 50; 50 more were injured during this event.
Following a change of venue for the match, many supporters thought they would not be able to enter the newly chosen stadium, as the previously intended venue, Nasser Stadium, was much larger. There was a stampede, the walls crumbled, and many people were left dead. According to reports, up to 80,000 people tried to access the stadium, despite the capacity at the time being just 40,000.
On this day 17 February 2016 (Exactly 5 years ago today) Nike terminated its
relationship with Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao after the eight -weight world champion described homosexuals as “worse than animals”.
“We find Manny Pacquiao’s comments abhorrent,” said a Nike statement.
Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBT community.”
The sportswear company added: “We no longer have a relationship with Manny Pacquiao.”
Pacquiao’s original remark was made in a television interview and he initially appeared unrepentant, writing on Instagram that he was “just telling the truth of what the Bible says”.
However, he later wrote on Facebook he was “not condemning LGBT”, while still voicing his opposition for gay marriage.
By: George ‘Alan Green’ Mahamah