FREEDOM! Boxer Patrick Allotey’s six months suspension by the GBA ends today

The six months suspension meted out to former WBO African Welterweight Champion Patrick Allotey by the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) for assaulting a football fan at the Accra sports stadium officially ends today, Thursday, August 6, 2020.

The 29-year old Ghanaian boxer was, in February, slapped with a hefty six months suspension by the nation’s boxing governing body after being found guilty of assaulting Michael Siaw Agyemang, a fan of Asante Kotoko at the Accra sports stadium.

To recall, Allotey was captured in a video punching Michael Siaw Agyemang during a league match played at the Accra sports stadium between Ghana’s biggest football clubs, Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko on Sunday, 26th January, 2020. From the said video, Michael Siaw, who identified himself as a fan of the visiting club for the match – Asantete Kotoko, was seen jubilating and waving a flag of the Porcupine Warriors, directing his actions at Allotey who asked him to get away from his sight. Siaw persisted and Allotey, losing his cool, held Siaw and unleashed some couple of punches on him which eventually left the young man sustain a deep cut above his left eye. Siaw was immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment.

The said video went viral which drew the attention of the GBA. The GBA, on Wednesday, 5th February, 2020, summoned Allotey who appeared before the Disciplinary Committee of the GBA to answer questions on the charge of misconduct, and a violation of the rules of his own profession (boxing) which bars him from fighting outside the ring.

On 6th February, 2020, after the hearing, the GBA found Allotey guilty of breaching the Codes of the GBA, and the rules of the sports. Consequently, the GBA released a statement to announce a six-month ban on the Accra based boxer, which placed a ban on his professional boxing licence.

““Following the hearing, the GBA found you liable on your own plea and has imposed a six (6) months suspension of your professional boxing licence as the appropriate sanction”, the GBA said in a letter addressed to Allotey, dated 6th February, 2020. “The suspension takes effect from today the 6th of February, 2020”, the letter stated.

Since, Patrick Allotey has been out of the ring, and today, 6th August, 2020 marks the end of the ban on Allotey.