By Prince Dornu-Leiku: Emmanuel Danso, Ghanaian the boxer aptly nicknamed Kwahu Mike Tyson, has sworn to achieve the dream he always harboured as a child to become a world boxing champion.
Danso, the first boxer to come out of the Kwahu area since Ramos Agyare, says the support he has from his manager Kwame Acheampong, his trainer as well as the Ghana Boxing Authority, behooves on him to reward all with a world title within two years.
First though, Danso must overcome compatriot Anyetei Sowah whom he fights in a Light heavyweight championship over 8 rounds next Monday December 26 on the undercard of the ‘Put up or Shut up’ promotion at the Lebanon House in Accra. The boxer says he is ready to demolish Sowah on the night.
“Boxing is my life and I’m very determined to bring glory to Ghana by winning a world title in the next 2 years.
“I expect bigger fights next year that will open the way to the top for me and nothing can stop me, not my next opponent.
“I thank my manager Kwame Acheampong for his motivation and I promise to win for him,” unbeaten Emmanuel Danso told Ghana-based newspaper ALL SPORTS.
Backing Kwahu Mike Tyson with belief, inspiration and financing is the manager Kwame Acheampong who is popularly called To Be in the Kantamanto business hub of Accra. To Be is reposing a massive dose of confidence in Danso.
“Since he was a little boy, he has always had the ambition to be a boxer. I am assuring him of my full support and from the level he has reached thus far, I am sure he can get to the top like Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis. I believe in him,” Mr. Acheampong stated confidently.
Stars came out for 25th annual Ring 8 Holiday & Awards Dinner
Roy Jones, Jr., John Ruiz, Tomasz Adamek & Emanuel Steward among award winners
NEW YORK, NY (Dec. 22, 2011) – Star boxers, industry dignitaries and fans turned out in record numbers for the recent 25th annual RING 8 Holiday Event and Awards Ceremony at Russo’s On The Bay in Howard Beach, New York.
A sold-out crowd of more than 500 enjoyed a day of boxing. “People came out in force and this was our largest attendance ever,” RING 8 President and dinner chairman Bob Duffy said. “On behalf of all RING 8 members, I’d like to thank everybody for attending, especially the award winners, many of whom traveled a great distance to be with us on the silver anniversary of our Holiday Event and Awards Ceremony. A good time was had by all. All of the award winners received a brass plaque, exclusively molded for RING 8. Manny liked it so much he took it home on the plane and proudly showed it off in Detroit. We’re looking forward to next’s year holiday event, as well as the first New York State Boxing Hall of Fame awards dinner, April 1st at Russo’s On The Bay.”
Master of Ceremonies Dave Diamante announced all of the award winners:
2011 RING 8 Honorees
Fighter of the Decade (1990’s): Roy Jones, Jr.
Fight of the Year: Delvin Rodriguez vs. Pawel Wolak
First Hispanic Heavyweight Champion of the World: John Ruiz
Outstanding Achievement Award: Tomasz Adamek
Trainer of the Decade: Emanuel Steward
Ring 8 Promoter of the Year: Ziggy Rozalski
Uncrowned Champion: Michael DeLaRue
Longevity Service to Amateur Boxing: Frank Pena
Humanitarian Award: Jill Diamond
Amateur Boxer of the Year: Marcus Brown
Ring 8 Member of the Year: Keith Sullivan
Official of the Year: Ralph Petrillo
Ring 8 Boxing Historian: Henry Hascup
Manager of the Year: Philip Pilevsky
In addition to award-winners Jones, Ruiz and Adamek, other world champions in attendance included Mark Breland, Juan LaPorte, Iran “The Blade” Barkley, “Downtown” Leona Brown and Junior “Poison” Jones. Active boxers joining Fight of the Year participant Delvin Rodriguez and 2012 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team member Marcus Brown included unbeaten IBF super featherweight champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano, NABF light welterweight titlist Gabriel “Tito” Bracero, popular heavyweight Vinny Maddalone, and world title challenger Cindy “Checkmate” Serrano. Additional retired boxers included Bobby Cassidy, Sr., Hubert Hilton, Mark Medal, Bobby Bartels, Lennie Mangiapane, and Mark McPherson.
Boxing dignitaries there in addition to the aforementioned award winners included IBF President Darryl Peoples, IBF Championship Chairman Lindsey Tucker, HBO “judge” Harold Lederman, NABF President Joe Dwyer, New York State Athletic Commission Chairperson Melvina Latham, ESPN boxing analyst/trainer Teddy Atlas, former NYSAC Chairperson Ron Scott Stevens, trainer Tommy Gallagher (“The Contender” series), international manager Stan Hoffman and former NYSAC commissioner and Ring 8 President Bob Duffy.
Other celebrities included the cast of the New York-based play, Kid Shamrock, based on the life of Bobby Cassidy, Sr., along with the screenplay writer, Bobby Cassidy, Jr., and executive producer Dave Schuster.
RING 8 was formed in 1954 by an ex-prizefighter, Jack Grebelsky, and it became the eighth subsidiary of what was then known as the National Veteran Boxers Association — hence, RING “8” — and today the organization’s motto remains: Boxers Helping Boxers.
Go on line to www.Ring8ny.com for more information about RING 8, the largest group of its kind in the United States with more than 350 members. Annual membership dues is only $25.00 and each member is entitled to a buffet dinner at RING 8 monthly meetings, the third Tuesday of every month, excluding July and August. All active boxers, amateur and professional, are entitled to a complimentary RING 8 yearly membership.
KRONK BOXING COMES TO PECHANGA FEATURING DOMINIC SALCIDO, KALIESHA WEST AND TONY HARRISON
JANUARY 13, 2012
Pechanga Grand Ballroom
Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, CA
Doors open at: 7:00 P.M.
First fight at: 8:00 P.M.
Ticket prices: $35, $45, $55.
Legendary Boxing Figure Emanuel Steward, and his famed Kronk Boxing, present an evening of world class fights at Pechanga Resort & Casino.
Dominic Salcido of Rialto (18-3 9 KO’s) will be in the ten-round main event. The co-feature will have WBO Bantamweight Champion, and one of the top female fighters in the world, Kaliesha West (14-1 4 KO’s) of Moreno Valley. The special feature is Kronk Jr Middleweight Tony Harrison, who is one of Emanuel’s prized pupils. Harrison is 4-0 with 4 first round knockouts. Steward compares the lanky and powerful Harrison to Tommy Hearns, expecting great things from him. The remainder of the fight card will feature some of the best local talent from the Inland Empire and Southern California.
Emanuel Steward said, “I am Honored to be working with a world class venue Like Pechanga and look forward to bringing to the fans a great night of boxing”
Steward is one of the premier trainer/managers in boxing today, a successful promoter with Kronk and current HBO lead boxing analyst. He has achieved success with his boxers at every level of the game. In 1997, he was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. After managing and training over 40 world champions (with 35 coming out of his famous Kronk Gym in Detroit), Steward now trains current heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Steward has trained dozens of world champions, including Former Heavyweight Champion Lennox Lewis and flamboyant featherweight star Prince Naseem Hamed, Tommy “Hit Man” Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar De La Hoya, Evander Holyfield, Leon Spinks, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Aaron Pryor, and Miguel Cotto. Middleweight Andy Lee and Jr Middleweight Tony Harrison are among his current crop of pupils. For over three decades, his world famous Kronk Boxing Gym has been a cultivating ground for boxers of every age and size, from legendary world champions to pre-teen Golden Gloves hopefuls.
Tickets available at Pechanga Resort & Casino Box Office, by telephone at 1-877-711-2946, and at www.pechanga.com.