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Agbeko
wins IBF crown
Accra, Sept. 30. Ghanadot/GNA- Ghana's Joseph "King Kong"
Agbeko on Saturday made victory certain when he technically
knocked out Luis "EL Demoledor" Perez of Nicaragua in their
International Boxing Federation (IBF) Bantamweight titlist
fight in Sacramento, USA on Saturday night.
The action was very plentiful from bell one as the
challenger Agbeko from Ghana showed why Ghanaian fighters
are some of the toughest the world has ever seen.
Knowing full well the Champion had trouble making weight
(Perez missed by a half pound and had to run it off) "King
Kong" went to the body early and often. A series of straight
rights followed by a left hook rocked Perez but he came
right back and both men traded all around the ring. Agbeko
seemed to get the better of the action throughout however
showing superior defense and a better jab.
Information gathered from the web by the GNA Sports
indicates that Agbeko showed his class to the admiration of
the sparse crowd in the co-feature championship bout to
Dawson/Mendoza on Saturday night in Sacramento, USA.
There were no knockdowns, but, before the start of the
eighth round, ringside physician Smith Ketchum, in his
second visit to Perez's corner, looked into the
ex-champion's eyes with a flashlight and decided he could no
longer continue.
"He was neurologically deteriorating from multiple head
blows," Ketchum said.
The stoppage drew an immediate protest from the ex-champion,
but he was taken to a local hospital for observation.
"It was my destiny to become world champion, and he wasn't
going to stop me from my dream," said an ecstatic Agbeko,
who entered the ring as the IBF's No. 15 contender and won
every round on the judges' scorecards.
Perez's manager, Kendrick Garcia, said he will ask for a
rematch. If so, his fighter, who was making his first title
defense, might want to do a better job monitoring his
training habits.
Perez came close to forfeiting the title twice on the
scales. At Friday's weigh-in, he came in a half-pound over
the 118-pound limit. Seventy-five minutes later, after a
long jog, he finally made the weight as Agbeko, 116 3/4,
stood smiling nearby.
Under IBF rules, boxers in Perez's weight class can't be
more than 10 pounds over 118 the day of the fight. Perez,
though, was over a fraction over 118 pounds again at a
Saturday morning weigh-in and had to take that excess off as
well.
The ordeal might have taken its toll. By the second round, a
back-pedalling Perez already appeared to be tiring against
the aggressive Agbeko.
Meanwhile, King Agbeko said that despite a smaller crowd
than he had envisioned, he plans to return to Sacramento for
more shows."
It isn't a question of if I'm coming back. I am," he said. "
GNA
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