FEATURE: End of the road for Manyo Plange?
It was his first pro career defeat but the opponent Jessie Manyo Plange lost to was the big deal.
The United States (US)-based bantamweight fighter shocked Ghanaians when he lost to Tanzania’s journeyman Fadhili Majiha last Saturday on his return to the ring in two years.
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The last two years have been disastrous to Plange’s career after his move to the US stalled his progress and rather relegated him.
Last Saturday’s performance summed up how Plange’s promising career had been affected by his stay in the US.
It is one of those stories of Ghanaian boxers who leave for the US in search of a career breakthrough but end up destroying what they have built back home.
The defeat was a bad one, especially for Plange who was looking to get back into the world ratings with an emphatic win against Majiha.
With this loss, I wonder what the future holds for Plange at a time when he is struggling with fights in the US.
His future looks bleak without time on his side but it will be interesting to see if he can turn his career around when the next opportunity avails itself.
Lamentation
Watching excerpts of the bout, I realised Plange struggled to get to his best shape as the round progressed and was glad he admitted to not having the best preparation for the fight.
Taking up a fight late comes with its own consequences but in his case, Plange was desperate to make a ring return after struggling with inactivity.
In a post-match interview, Plange admitted to having bad preparation for the fight and felt cheated by the judges.
“I think I gave my all and was winning the fight so I expected to be given the verdict but it went to my opponent and there was nothing I could do.
“Maybe the late announcement of the fight affected my performance but I don’t think ring rust robbed me of victory,” Plange said.
There are a lot of lessons to be learned by Plange after his first career defeat but at his age, he doesn’t have the time to be learning the hard way.
These are the times when he should be challenged for world championships and losing to journeymen should not be in the cards for him.
My worry has to do with whether Plange can quickly get the chance to come back stronger immediately because that is the only way to erase the blemish on his career.
Lessons
Plange took the opportunity to advise upcoming fighters in Ghana who were looking forward to relocating to the US to ensure they were with the right people before making a move.
“For every young fighter coming up in Ghana, make sure you are with the right team before you move to the US and that is very important.
“Before you sign managerial or promotional contracts, ensure that you know what you are getting into before you append your signature,” Plange noted.
Does that mean he has regretted his move to the US, I believe so because Plange was getting closer to a world title shot until he left to abroad.
The plan to move to the US in search of bigger fights was the right move but it has affected his career negatively because he is yet to make his debut.
At one point, he was contemplating coming back home to help him secure fights and that tells how desperate he was to get back into the ring.
I want to wait and see what decision he makes going forward but I pray whatever he does yields results in the future.
