In an exclusive interview with Joy Sports, Emmanuel Aryeetey recounted how he needed to beg officialdom and even had to drop in weight from his original flyweight to minimumweight in order to get the opportunity to represent Ghana.
speaking to Joy FM’s Nathaniel Attoh, the 13th African Games Gold medalist spoke passionately about the politics that surrounds the sport in terms of selection and inclusion.
“You know, it’s not easy to get to the national team. I had to beg; my manager had to beg. We spoke to the Federation head, and even with that, I was told to take a different weight category because my original Flyweight was already occupied by someone. So I accepted the challenge and dropped about 4 kilos, which was not easy for me, but I did it.”
He recounted the moments before his final fight, the words that coach Asare whispered into his ears.
“Mohammed, you have fought international fights and are very experienced. This guys aren’t up to your level, so don’t allow him to put you to shame. Can you stop him?”
Mohammed Aryeetey replied coach Asare with confidence and in the affirmative.
“Yes, I can beat him,” He said.
“I knew I was going to win the fight as soon as the guy got defensive. Hence, I decided to command the ring generalship and sway the crowd to my favour. At the end of the day, I won by a massive 5-0.