Ghana Boxing Association (GBA) president Peter Zwennes has good reason for maintaining the sanction against Patrick Allotey.
Allotey was suspended for six months by the GBA after a video surfaced of the WBO Africa super welterweight champion assaulting a fan during a local soccer match at Accra Sports Stadium. The victim has been identified as Michael Siaw.
Team Allotey has called for a reduction of the punishment but, according to Zwennes, the GBA was lenient in their ruling.
“There were issues of misconduct,” Zwennes told ModernGhana.com. “Boxers have to comport themselves in and out of the ring and not bring the game into disrepute. That kind of conduct which has criminal connotations aside from civil liability certain brings the game into disrepute.”
Zwennes explained that the boxer’s prior clean record of discipline, coupled with his admission of guilt, were all factors that were considered prior to a decision being made.
“He admitted his own guilt in this matter, and he made a plea for leniency,” said Zwennes. “We took all those issues into account. He’s not one of the undisciplined boxers we have so I don’t know what came over him, but it happened. If we had to stretch the limits of the law, he might have had an indefinite suspension or a revocation of his license.
“We took all his extenuating circumstances into consideration before handing him the six-month sanction which I think is fair.”
