Musah Lawson successfully defended his national super welterweight title with a thrilling 12-round unanimous decision over Charles Lesko Sossiya Saturday night in Accra’s Bukom Boxing Arena.
Lawson (7-0, 6 KOs), representing Sonia Boxing Club, won clearly against Panix Boxing Club’s Sossiya (3-2, 3 KOs), although scores of 118-108, 117-110 and 116-110 don’t convey how competitive this fight was as both fighters scored knockdowns in this main event in the second installment of the Ghana Professional Boxing League.
“It was a good fight for me because Sossiya gave his all,” Musah told BoxingAfrica.com afterward. “It was a good return against a pretty good opponent.
“I have to look forward to what lies ahead of me and continue building on my career. I am really looking forward to that.”
Lawson was the busier and composed fighter throughout the bout, a performance which won him the “Best Boxer of the Night” award.
The 28-year-old Lawson started the bout attacking the body of Sossiya which troubled the challenger. The pressured Sossiya spent much of the night clinching.
Sossiya enjoyed his best round in the third, landing a series of power shots as the two traded. Lawson bounced back with a strong fourth, bringing his left hook upstairs.
Lawson was the busier fighter in the fifth and sixth, using a steady diet of jabs to keep Sossiya at bay.
The champ began showing signs of fatigue in the seventh round. Sossiya sought to press the advantage but couldn’t land anything of subsequence. More toe to toe ensued in the eighth which didn’t favor Sossiya either. A body shot from Lawson in the ninth sank him to the canvas. Sossiya was able to beat the count and survive Lawson’s follow-up. One round later, it was his turn.
In the tenth round, Sossiya got his revenge when his right rook sent Lawson to the mat. The champion beat the count and gamely worked his way back into action, winning the last two rounds to seal the victory.
On the undercard, Elvis Ahorgah of Fit Square Gym earned a sixth-round stoppage victory over Charles Quartey Boxing Foundation’s Hamed Mohammed in super middleweight contest.
John Quaye of Sea View Boxing Club finished off Wisdom Boxing Gym’s Nje Saotu in two rounds of their super featherweight contest.
