An accidental headbutt ended a Ghana-Togo lightweight contest abruptly compelling the ring officials to declare a technical draw.
The six-rounder contest was one of the top liners for fight night 19 of the ongoing Ghana professional boxing league.
The incident occurred in the fourth round of the bout.
The two boxers were up for the challenge under the command of the centre referee, Michael Neequaye, which the Ghanaian, Gabriel Coffie appears to be leading with slim margin.
An increase pressure between the two midway-through the fourth round resulted in the accidental headbutt leaving the Togolese, Komlagan Houkpatini, bleeding profusely.
Referee Michael Neequaye signaled for the end of the contest as the ring doctors struggled to stop the blood.
The national ambulance team on standby were called in to help stop the bleeding and attended to the injured head.
After a brief consultation, the professional boxing league regular ring announcer, Mohammed Amin Lamptey, stepped in the ring to announcer the contest as a technical draw.
Generally, a fight that is ended because of a headbutt will go to a technical decision.
The judges will hand over their scorecards and the fighter who finds themselves ahead on points at that moment will earn the victory.
In order for a fight to end in a technical decision though, it must either go beyond the fourth round or the halfway point of its scheduled duration; say the sixth rounds in a 12-round bout.
A fight that doesn’t reach this point will be declared a technical draw.
Meanwhile, Charles Quartey boxing foundation remained dominate on top of the Ghana professional boxing league table without fighting on the penultimate night.
The gym and three others were absent on the fight night 19 bill, which produced a lot of drama
Charles Quartey boxing foundation led the with 42 points from 18 fights but Sonia Gym, which also did not fixture on the fight night 19 bill, had its second place toppled by Panix Gym.
Sonia Gym dropped to third place with 39 points out of 18 fights while Panix gym took the second with 40 points out of 19 fights.
Though scheduled to face Wisdom Gym in a middle weight contest, Fit Square gym ended the night without an action on the fight night 19, a situation, which further pushed their title dream away from reality.
‘The Gym’ now occupied the fifth place with 37 points out of 18 fight being replaced by the Attoh Quarshie gym at the fourth with 38 points out of 19 fights.
The bottom half of the league table saw Sea View Gym occupying the sixth place with 29-point, Black Panters Gym and Akotoku Academy at seventh and eighth places with 28 points apiece.
‘The seconds out gym’, rooted at Nineth with 17 points, ‘The Gym’ at tenth with 15 points, the Palm Spring Gym at eleventh with 13 points while Wisdom Gym sealed the base at twelve with only 3 points.
It was not immediately clear why the four-gym failed to participate in the penultimate night.
By Peter Quao Adattor
