Abubakar Kamoko, son of retired Ghanaian boxer Bukom Banku, has disclosed that fitness issues contributed to his silver medal finish at the 2023 African Games in the 86kg cruiserweight category.
After a commendable performance leading to the finals, where he defeated Nathan Nlandu Mbeli from Congo, Kamoko aimed to clinch gold. However, he fell short as Algeria’s Kanouni Ousama proved formidable in the final bout.
🥊A defeat for Abubakar Kamoko (Tilapia). He takes home silver #3SportsGH #Accra2023 pic.twitter.com/qJixKP8gBs
— #3Sports (@3SportsGh) March 22, 2024
Affectionately known as Ambitious Tilapia, Kamoko expressed regret for not securing the ultimate prize for Ghana but attributed his performance to limited resting time between bouts. He revealed that he was struggling with back pains, having fought a tough semifinal match the previous day.
“I fought yesterday [Thursday]. I thought the final was Saturday, so when I fought yesterday and this morning, I wasn’t feeling well at all. I was having body pains, so my coach gave me medicine to take, but still… I want to beg Ghanaians. They should forgive me. I will come back stronger,” Kamoko stated.
Ghana’s Ambitious Tilapia who won silver in the Cruiserweight class at the African Games says he wasn’t feeling too well on the night of the final.
Asked Ghanaians to be patient with him and that he’ll get back stronger. #Accra2023 pic.twitter.com/nLgZmVP6Tr
— Yaw (@theyawofosu) March 25, 2024
Despite missing out on the gold, the silver medal win by Abubakar Kamoko marked a significant achievement, breaking a 25-year-old record set by his father, who won bronze in South Africa in 1999 at the African Games.
Kamoko’s silver medal adds to Ghana’s impressive performance in boxing at the Games. Ghana secured four gold, one silver, and two bronze medals in the boxing discipline, finishing third overall behind Nigeria and Algeria.
- African Games: Bukom Banku’s son breaks father’s 25-year-old boxing record
- Abubakar Kamoko: Bukom Banku’s son secures boxing medal for Ghana
Among the gold medalists were Mohammed Aryeetey in the Men’s 48Kg, Mohammed Amadu in the Men’s Bantamweight (54kg), Joseph Commey in Men’s 60kg, and Samuel Takyi in the Light Welterweight (63.5Kg) category.
Additionally, Theophilus Allotey and Janet Acqua also secured bronze medals for Ghana in the Men’s 51kg and Women’s 48kg categories, respectively.
The remarkable achievements of these boxers contributed to Ghana’s overall success at the African Games, where the nation secured a record-breaking 68 medals, including 19 gold, 29 silver, and 20 bronze medals.
This outstanding performance propelled Ghana to sixth place out of 53 participating nations, marking a significant improvement from its 15th position in the previous edition in Rabat in 2019, where it garnered only 13 medals.
Despite Egypt retaining its title as defending champions, the nation fell short of its previous record, amassing 187 medals, including 99 golds. Nigeria secured the runner-up position with 120 medals, while South Africa moved up to third place, pushing Algeria down to fourth in the final rankings.