play videoDavid Kotei won Ghana's first World boxing title
GhanaWeb Feature
Ghana is a huge sporting country recognized globally and much of the success the country has achieved is through football and boxing.
With 10 world champions, Ghana is regarded as one of the countries to have produced lots of champions in the game and has done more in boxing than any other African country.
Read full articlehref='/GhanaHomePage/people/person.php?ID=2692'>Isaac Dogboe, part of the 10 world champions Ghana has produced is on his way to regaining his world title after losing it to Emmanuel Navarette two years ago.
The 26-year-old now has a chance to win another World-title as he could face WBC title holder, Rey Vargas after defeating Joet Gonzalez in the WBC final eliminator on Sunday, July 24, 2022.
As Dogboe crawls back into being a World champion, we celebrate the man who started Ghana's dominance in Africa as the leader in Boxing.
David Kotei, popularly known as DK Poison is the man who won Ghana's first World title in boxing 47 years ago before Azumah Nelson, Nana Yaw Konadu, Ike Quartey, and others won theirs.
Born on December 7, 1950, David Kotei is one of the many boxers produced from Bukom, the hub of boxing in Ghana.
David Kotei started his amateur career in Accra but made his debut as a professional boxer on February 5, 1966, under the stewardship of Attuquaye Clottey.
He knocked down his opponent on his debut before the 6th round and that was when young Kotei caught the eye of the media.
His ability to knock down his opponent earned him the nickname Poison and he became the national featherweight champion before 1968.
On the African stage, DK Poison became the champion on the continent after knocking out Tahar Ben Hassen in the first round of a scheduled 15-round fight in Tunisia in 1974.
The following year in 1975, DK Poison delivered Ghana's first World title in boxing after beating Rubén Olivares by a split points decision after 15 rounds in California, US.
The Ghanaian boxing legend defended his belt three times before losing it to Danny Lopez in 1976.
In a total of 60 boxing bouts, DK Poison won 49, drew 3, and lost 8. Out of DK Poison's 49 victories in his career, 31 of them were by Knockout (KO).
Revealing how he got nicknamed Poison, David Kotei said in an interview with Joy Sports that it was a name he inherited from his great grandfather who was a warlord in James Town.
"I was born with a lump in my mouth which was similar to that of my great grandfather who was a fisherman and a warlord in James Town. He was called Poison so I was given that name even before I began my career as a boxer."
Watch some of the most memorable bouts of DK Poison in the post below:
Author: Joel Eshun
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