On this day 21 February 1998 (Exactly 23 years ago today) Ghana’s Nana Yaw Konadu successfully defended his WBA World bantamweight title when he knocked out Abraham Torres of Venezuela in the second round of their scheduled 12-round title fight at the Estadio Polideportivo, Mardel Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
It took the Ghanaian champion 1 minute 32 seconds inside the second round to stop the Venezuelan who fell unconscious and only regained consciousness after 30 minutes.
Torres opened the first round fiercely but the champion took all his shots and then began to force the challenger to retreat with a barrage of blows in the middle of the round.
And by the end of the round, the piston-like shots of Nana Yaw Konadu had already done enough damage to the body of Torres for the Ghanaian champion to finish off the weary Venezuelan in the second round to retain his title.
The fight was Nana Yaw’s first defence of the title he reclaimed late the previous year by beating Daorung Siriwat of Thailand in their rematch in Florida.
Elsewhere;
On this day 21February 1995 (Exactly 26 years ago today) Bill Hardy of the United Kingdom made a defence of his Commonwealth (British Empire) Featherweight title , against Percy Commey, of Ghana at the Crowtree Leisure Centre United Kingdom, Tyne and Wear, Sunderland. Hardy won by a technical knockout in the eleventh round.
By: George ‘Alan Green’ Mahamah
