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GBA president has lost the plot - Foh-Amoaning
He accused Mr Neequaye of acting fraudulently with Imax Media Group, in respect of the upcoming professional boxing league, while bringing the GBA’s name into disrepute.
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Mr Foh-Amoaning raised doubts about the $1.7 million Imax Media was reported to have injected into the league since the media entity did not have that kind of money to invest into boxing.
“Imax Media, which owns Max TV, pledged to telecast live matches of the just-ended AFCON but couldn’t afford the TV rights and so backed out. That may even be less than the $1.7 million they are dangling, then they come and claim they will inject $1.7million into the boxing league; it is a fallacy,” he stated.
He stated that Imax Media was attempting to use the Professional Boxing League to generate revenue for itself through sponsorship and other merchandise.
It will be recalled that Imax Media Group and the GBA formed a partnership to organise a new boxing league for boxers about a month ago - a deal which would see Imax Media Group as a major syndicate that would produce, promote and organise the event.
However, the deal has raised eyebrows in boxing circles, particularly among some professional boxing promoters who feel shortchanged and have, therefore, boycotted the competition.
Adding his voice to the concerns of the promoters, Mr Foh-Amoaning, who was one of the originators of the famous Bukom Fist of Fury, told the Graphic Sports in an exclusive interview last Wednesday that Mr Neequaye had a meeting with him about the league but he kicked against it.
“I told him it is a non-starter. I reminded him of the Mortein Boxing League where professionals were used, luring amateurs to turn professionals and join, and that destroyed the amateur and juvenile divisions of the sport in the country, but he did not listen,” he revealed.
He also stated that he raised the issue of the GNPC-sponsored Bukom Fist of Fury with the GBA president and how it should be sustained since that encompassed all three categories of the discipline– which is juvenile, amateur and professional.
Reacting to the allegation, Mr Neequaye told the Graphic Sports that his attempts to change boxing in Ghana and make it a profitable venture was being opposed by cynics and people with retrogressive tendencies.
“We met Mr Foh-Amoaning on this project and when we discussed with him, he said he wanted to be part and when we didn’t agree with that, he is going all out to defame us,” he explained.