On this day 30 September 1989 (Exactly 31 years ago today) In his last fight as a professional boxer, Ghana’s first world champion, David “Poison” Kotei suffered a ninth-round knockout.

A thunderous right punch to the chin of the former world featherweight boxing champion, D.K. Poison’, enabled Razor Akwei Addo to retain his African Boxing Confederation (ABC) lightweight title at the Orion Cinema Hall in Accra.

Akwei literally prepared Poison for the pay – off punch with a solid left hook which caught the challenger flush on the chin before delivering the coup de grace with the right two minutes 57 seconds in the fateful round.

By the defeat, Akwei fulfilled his pre- fight promise of forcing D.K. Poison to retire from active boxing and shattered the dreams of his opponent, from coming back into serious reckoning as a boxer.

Poison, who had confused Akwei with some unorthodox style for eight eventful rounds landed flat on his back and failed to beat the count of sole referee / judge, Magnus A. Armah of Benin.

The crowd yelled in disappointment as the once ‘Brave Warrior” tried in vain to beat the count.

He later told reporters that he walked into that punch and said he deserved a rematch.

At the time of the knockout, Akwei Addo was leading 90 – 72 on the score card of the sole referee judge.

Poison, who appeared in the ring first responded to the vociferous shouts of his fans “D. K, D. K. D. K.” instantly threw the first punch.

Akwei replied with a stubborn stance refusing to step back while sending some quick jabs home, to end a round of cautious proceedings.

Akwei landed a hefty punch to the body of Poison and followed it up with a two – fisted attack but the challenger survived the test.

Akwei went to work again throwing heavy shots at his opponent who was forced to clinch for a breather. The referee had to call them for more action in round three.

From the fourth round, Poison fought in a crouch with a tight guard in a bid to ward off the hefty blows from Akwei.

In the process, Poison was warned for hitting below the belt during a brief spell of attack from the champion.

Akwei dared his opponent into action but the punches from Poison were weak and had no damaging effect.

Akwei teased Poison into action after a few shots from the challenger. From then on Poison went into serious crouching but most of the punches missed the target.

Just as the fight was becoming a bore, Awei exploded into action and Poison was forced to fight back in a fine exchange of shots but the champion found his target elusive.

In the sixth round, Akwei broke the defense of Poison and sent in some more heavy blows to the head of the challenger but he replied with some good shots at the mid – section of the champion to share honours with Akwei.

Round seven was Poison’s best round as he carried the fight to a baffled Akwei, throwing some excellent punches. The challenger found the target easily to the delight of his fans.

In the eighth round, Akwei seemed to be tiring and allowed Poison to dictate the pace for a while and won the round comfortably.

When the bell sounded for round nine Akwei went straight into attack and had Poison pinned under severe pressure with flurries of blows to the face of the challenger.

A momentarily mistake by Poison who had dropped his guard saw Akwei sending a sharp left hook to his chin. He immediately followed up with a damaging right punch that decked the challenger for the full count.

Akwei, who showed no signs of having shed a quarter of a pound at the weigh – in, said after the fight; “You cannot cheat nature. I can beat Poison anywhere anytime.”

Elsewhere;

On this day 30 September 2007 (Exactly 13 years ago today) Thanks to a clinical 2-0 triumph over an in-form Brazil side which had set the tournament alight on their way to the 2007 Final, Germany successfully defended their FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament crown to cement their reputation as a powerhouse in the women’s game.

In doing so, the ever-consistent Europeans became the first team ever to retain the trophy, although this was just one of many milestones achieved by the champions of China 2007.

The 2007 decider between Germany and Brazil was the first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup Final to be contested between European and South American opponents.

UEFA representatives Germany, who entered the match with the tournament’s best defensive record having conceded no goals in their five previous games, faced a free-scoring Brazil side which had netted 17 times en route to the decider, including four against fellow title contenders USA in the semi-finals.

A closely fought battle between defensive consistency and attacking flair ultimately ended with a victory for the defending champions. Under the guidance of head coach Silvia Neid, the German juggernaut effectively took Jorge Barcellos’ aces out of the game. In particular, the holders kept a tight reign on their opponents’ linchpin striker Marta, who was unable to get a clear shot on goal or link up effectively with her team-mates.

Birgit Prinz’s 52nd-minute strike dealt a telling blow to the hopes of the challengers, who were subsequently forced onto the back foot. Just 12 minutes later the South Americans looked to have found a way back into the game when they were gifted a penalty. However, 21-year-old Marta had her spot-kick saved and Simone Laudehr went on to score a second goal for the holders on 86 minutes, putting paid to Brazil’s hopes of a comeback.

Germany set a new tournament record by taking the world title without conceding a single goal in six matches, an achievement which owed much to the efficiency of a rearguard marshalled by goalkeeper Nadine Angerer. A succession of outstanding performances by the German shot-stopper helped her break a record that had stood since the 1990 FIFA World Cup tournament, when Italy’s Walter Zenga went 517 minutes without conceding a goal.

At the other end of the field, another record was being chalked up by adidas Silver Ball winner Birgit Prinz. Having played a key role in her side’s 3-0 semi-final win over Norway, Germany’s top scorer became the first woman to appear in three Finals.

The three-time FIFA World Player of the Year previously led her team to victory in the concluding match of the 2003 edition having already seen her side lose to Norway in the 1995 instalment. With her consistent finishing and ability to score match winners at crucial times, the 29-year-old markswoman set a shining example to the many up-and-coming young stars who emerged during the tournament.

Brazil cement reputation
Undoubtedly one of the highlights of the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup was the attacking flair of a Brazil side inspired by talismanic forward Marta. The FIFA Women’s World Player of 2006 dazzled spectators with her dribbling skills to clinch both the adidas Golden Shoe and Golden Ball awards.

While a lack of experience perhaps cost them the world crown, Brazil’s exhilarating brand of football won them plaudits from fans and experts like. The Auriverde were voted the tournament’s most entertaining team by FIFA.com users with 42.12 per cent of the vote, leaving champions Germany trailing in their wake on 18 per cent. Although the Canarinha lost the Final against the defending champions, their attacking prowess was amply demonstrated in the match statistics: 57 per cent possession, 14 shots on goal and five corners.

Despite seeing their early two-goal advantage whittled away by a tough Australia side in the quarter-finals, Cristiane fired in a long-range winner on 75 minutes to set up a semi-final date with USA. The Auriverde then demonstrated their devastating firepower to full effect with a 4-0 win, earning themselves a first ever appearance in the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and consigning the pre-tournament favourites to their heaviest defeat in history. Marta’s second goal in that match, a cheeky backheel flick followed by a well-placed strike, became one of the most replayed highlights of the tournament.

AFC stars hold their nerve
Judging by the powerful displays of teams such as Korea DPR, Australia and England, the 16 participants in this year’s tournament proved to be more evenly matched than ever.

In particular, the four Asian qualifiers showed that they have the mental strength to hold their nerve alongside the world’s best. Whether it was Korea DPR’s spirit in coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with USA, or Japan’s last-minute equaliser in the match against England, the AFC representatives demonstrated their ability to eke out results in the face of adversity.

Then there was Australia, who waited until stoppage time in their final group game with Canada to secure qualification to the last eight. The Matildas proceeded to give Brazil a scare in the quarter-final before seeing their dream ended by Cristiane’s late winner. And although they failed to reach the last four, the Australian’s high-tempo passing game and never-say-die approach left a lasting impression on the fans.

Despite seeing their hopes of a second world title dashed at the semi-final stage, USA nonetheless managed to claim third position on the podium. The team’s veteran striker Kristine Lilly became the only woman to have played in all five FIFA Women’s World Cups, while top scorer Abby Wambach scooped the adidas Silver Shoe award.

Meanwhile, North American neighbours Canada narrowly failed to qualify from the group phase after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser to Australia. It was a cruel blow for the Canucks and marked the climax of a finely poised game whose result few would have dared to predict.

Participating nations
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, China PR, Denmark, England, Ghana, Korea DPR, Japan, Nigeria, Norway, New Zealand, Sweden, USA

Final Placings
Germany
Brazil
USA
Norway

Host stadiums, cities
Hongkou Football Stadium (Shanghai), Olympic Centre Stadium (Tianjin), Sport Center Stadium (Chengdu), Dragon Stadium (Hangzhou), Sports Center Stadium (Wuham)

No. of goals
111 (average goals/game: 3.47)

Total attendance
1,190,971

Average attendance
37,218

Awards
adidas Golden Ball: Marta (Brazil)
adidas Silver Ball: Birgit Prinz (Germany)
adidas Bronze Ball: Cristiane (Brazil)

adidas Golden Boot: Marta (Brazil), 7 goals
adidas Silver Boot: Abby Wambach (USA), 6 goals
adidas Bronze Boot: Ragnhild Gulbrandsen (Norway), 6 goals

FIFA Fair Play Award: Norway

By: George ‘Alan Green’ Mahamah

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