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.
“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
