Former World Boxing Organisation (WBO) bantamweight champion, Alfred ‘Cobra’ Kotey, was confirmed dead in New York on Tuesday, June 30, after a short illness.
Kotey became Ghana’s first world champion to have died. He left behind other champions such as David ‘Poison’ Kotei, Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey, Nana Yaw Konadu, Joshua Clottey, Joseph Agbeko, Isaac Dogboe, and Richard Commey.
He was pronounced dead at a hospital in New York having suffered from a stroke. He was 52 years.
The late former Ghanaian fighter became the nation’s fifth world champion after beating Puerto Rico’s Rafael Del Valle in July 1994. In all, the late Kotey fought 43 times, winning 26, drawing once and losing 16 times.
Born at Bukom in Accra on June 3, 1968, Kotey featured for Ghana in the 1988 Summer Olympics before turning professional in November that same year.
During his amateur days, he formed a deadly partnership with close ally and former World Boxing Association’s (WBA) welterweight titlist, Ike ‘Bazooka’ Quartey in the late 80’s into the 90’s.
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Samuel A. Boakye-Buckman (popularly known as Dada Oliseh) is a self-motivated young journalist with a passion for telling stories better with pictures. He is the founder, owner, editor and bankroller of www.ghanasoccernews.org as well as this website, www.totalsportsgh.com. Dada Oliseh is again the brain behind the Dada Oliseh Photos brand that produces awesome pictures of all sporting activities, nature, and other occasions.
He has a vast experience in the reporting of sports in Ghana especially football-related activities in Ghana and beyond. A former employee of Hearts News (official mouthpiece of Accra Hearts of Oak), 90 minutes sports paper, National Sports Authority, Footballcrusader.com, sportscrusader.com, and ghanafootballnews.com, Samuel is one of the few energetic and self-motivated young journalist in Ghana with a large following on social media, especially Facebook (https://web.facebook.com/boakye.buckman.9). He is well known for his frequent updates from all over the country with pictures to match. He is also a correspondent for a few international websites, including CAF. In recent times, he has introduced, as part of his many talents, the live streaming of matches and football-related activities. He lives in Accra Ghana.