GHANA: GHANA'S FIRST COMMONWEALTH LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION, JOE TETTEH, HANGS UP HIS GLOVES.

Record ID: 576367

  • Title: GHANA: GHANA'S FIRST COMMONWEALTH LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION, JOE TETTEH, HANGS UP HIS GLOVES.
  • Date: 19th October 1974
  • Summary: 1. GV Joe Tetteh's house. 0.05 2. SV INT. Joe Tetteh's trophies and gloves. (2 shots) 0.18 3. SV Joe Tetteh speaks. 3.28 A transcript of the interview follows TETTEH: "Before I left this country I was afraid I would settle in Ghana. When I went to London I had two fights in that division, knocking them out in five rounds. Then I ran out of opponents....so I had to move up to Lightweight. I wasn't as heavy as a Lightweight, but I wanted to take Lightweights on. And then they couldn't get more Lightweights for me, so I had to move up to Welterweights and take all of them on, and, as a matter of fact, I beat them all. So when they said Junior Welterweight I had a go at the Commonwealth title..... they let me try for that Title, and I was matched against Joey Santos of New Zealand. And so I became the first Commonwealth Light Welterweight Champion." INTERVIEWER: "I see. Do you think African boxers are given a good deal in European rings?" TETTEH: "No, they don't get a good deal at all, because there's nobody representing them in Britain, or overseas. Because all the boxers in England, or anywhere in the world, they don't fight on their own -- the Ghanians, they fight on their own....they have to fight and work to the top. They can't get nobody backing you. Somebody told me that we have a fellow in our Embassy in London, he's supposed to do all this business for them; but I don't think it's true, because I haven't see that fellow before. And I don't know him. And I never met him before anyway. I understand he works on that think for all the boxers. I never met him before." INTERVIEWER: "I am sure your boxing career is not ended yet. Would you like to continue fighting here in Ghana?" TETTEH: "No I'm retired, I be old now. I'm retired. I hung hung my gloves up, I'm not taking no boxing. Of course I can do some exhibitions to attract the fans and make the boys get interested in me. But I'm not going to take up full-time boxing. I'm finished, I'm retired." INTERVIEWER: "So what are your retiring plans now?" TETTEH: "My retiring plans are to help the younger generation to learn the boxing the right way, then put them no the world boxing map". INTERVIEWER: "What do you think will be the outcome of the fight between Mohammed Lai and of course the World Champion, George Foreman, in Zaire?" TETTEH: "That's a very good question. To my own estimation I think Foreman will beat Clay, because Foreman is a very young chap, very strong, very big.... he's like a giant, very big. You can't compare Clay against Foreman. Clay, of course is a big man as well, but not as big as Foreman. Clay is a bit old cow, he's about 31 years old. He'll be slowed down, he's not as good as he used to be. So I think Foreman will knock him out inside ten rounds." Initials VS 2.18 VS 2.22 SPORT: BOXING Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 3rd November 1974 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ACCRA, GHANA
  • Country: Ghana
  • Reuters ID: LVA1SN96EYBN3IL0AVOUOGL2MAKT
  • Story Text: Ghana's former Commonwealth Junior Light Welterweight boxing Champion, Joe Tetteh, has announced that after eighteen years as a professional boxer, he is now retiring from the sport. He became the first Ghanaian holder of the Commonwealth Junior Light Welterweight title in 1974 when he beat New Zealand's Joey Santos.

    He lost the title last year in Brisbane, when he was beaten by Australia's Hector Thompson.

    Tetteh, who is 36, announced his retirement when he returned home to Accra in Ghana, after having been based in Britain for the past eleven years. During his career he won 60 of his 82 fights. One of those he lost was his fight for the newly-created African Lightweight title last year, when he was beaten by Algeria's Ould Makloufi in Algiers.

    During his retirement Tetteh intends to help with the training of young boxers in Ghana. In this film he explains his plans for the future to Harry Thompson of the Ghana Broadcasting Company.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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