Ghana’s Jessie Lartey bowed out of the boxing competition after losing 0-5 to England’s Mohammed Harris Akbar at the NEC Hall in a light middleweight round of 16 clash.
Lartey, who won a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, was highly tipped to win a medal but was outclassed by the home favourite, a defeat the Ghanaian blamed on fighting in a bigger weight class.
The 29-year-old said a plea by Ghana to have the Commonwealth Games Federation allow him to fight in a more favourable weight class was rejected.
“I wasn’t happy about fighting at light-middleweight because it is too big for me and we complained about it,” Lartey told the Graphic Online.
Lartey in action versus Akbar
“All our efforts to have me fight in a more favourable division were rejected, and I think that played a role in my defeat.”
Credit: Graphic Online
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