David Kotei

D K Poison
Born
David Kotei Poison

(1950-12-07) 7 December 1950 (age 73)
Accra, Ghana
Other namesPoison
Statistics
Weight(s)Featherweight
Lightweight
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights60
Wins49
Wins by KO31
Losses8
Draws3

David Kotei Poision (originating from the Kotei family; born 12 July 1943), popularly called "D.K. Poison", is a former world featherweight boxing champion between 1975 and 1976. He is the first Ghanaian professional boxer to win a world title.[1]

Amateur career

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DK Poison started his amateur career in Accra. He is one of many boxers spawned by Bukom, a suburb in the heart of the city populated by the Ga people. Many top Ghanaian boxers such as Roy Ankrah, Azuma Nelson and Ike Quartey are products of Bukom.[2]

Professional career

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David Kotei turned professional under trainer Attuquaye Clottey. His first professional bout was on 5 February 1966 in Accra when he outpointed his opponent over six rounds. He became the national featherweight champion that year.[3] Although he fought once in neighbouring Togo in 1967, all his subsequent fights through to 1971 were all in Ghana. In 1972 however, he fought as much as seven times in Australia, winning five and losing two. He won the African featherweight title on 2 February 1974 when he knocked out Tahar Ben Hassen in the first round of a scheduled 15 round fight in Tunis, Tunisia. Later on 7 December 1974, he also won the Commonwealth featherweight title with a technical knock out over Evan Armstrong, a British boxer in round 10 of a scheduled 15 rounds bout. This victory gave him an opportunity to go for the World Boxing Council version of the world title. On 20 September 1975, in The Forum, Inglewood, California, United States, he beat Rubén Olivares by split points decision after 15 rounds to become the first Ghanaian world boxing champion.[4][5] He relinquished the African and Commonwealth titles following this victory. The Ghana government gave him an estate house at Teshie-Nungua, an Accra suburb in honour of this achievements in boxing.[6] He however lost the title in his third defence on 6 November 1976 by unanimous points decision to Danny "Little Red" Lopez in a fierce fight in Accra, Ghana.He is married with three daughters. He also defeated Fuku Yama in Japan.

DK Poison was never the same again after this defeat. He failed in 1978 to regain either the world or commonwealth featherweight titles. His last professional bout was in 1989 when he lost an African lightweight title fight.[7][8]

Professional boxing record

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49 Wins (31 Knockouts), 8 Defeats (3 Knockouts), 3 Draws[8]
Res. Record Opponent Type Rd., Time Date Location Notes
Loss 49-8-3 Ghana Akwei Addo KO 9(12) 1989-09-30 Niger Orion Cinema Hall, Accra For African lightweight title
Loss 39–5-2 Niger Eddie Ndukwu PTS 15 1978-09-29 Niger National Stadium, Lagos For Commonwealth featherweight title
Loss 38–4-2 United States Danny Lopez TKO 6 (15) 1978-02-15 United States Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada For WBC featherweight title
Won 36–3-2 Togo Laurent Bazie PTS 15 1977-07-30 Ghana El Wak Stadium, Accra Won vacant African featherweight title
Loss 34-3-2 United States Danny Lopez UD 15 1976-11-06 Ghana Accra Sports Stadium, Accra Lost WBC featherweight title
Win 31-2-2 Mexico Rubén Olivares SD 15 1975-09-20 United States Forum, Inglewood, California Won WBC featherweight title
Win 29-2-1 United Kingdom Evan Armstrong TKO 10(15) 1974-12-07 Ghana Accra Sports Stadium, Accra Won Commonwealth featherweight title
Win 27-2-1 Tunisia Tahar Ben Hassen KO 1(15) 1974-02-02 Tunisia Palais du Sport, Tunis Won African featherweight title
Draw 18–0-1 Ghana Freddie Mensah SD 8 1971-06-05 Ghana Accra Sports Stadium, Accra
Win 11–0 Ghana Teddy Walker TKO 4(15) 1969-03-01 Ghana Black Star Square, Accra Won Ghanaian featherweight title.
Win 7-0 Togo Kid Killer TKO 8(8) 1968-03-01 Ghana Prempeh Assembly Hall, Kumasi
Win 6-0 Togo Peter Ayivor PTS 8 1967-06-05 Togo Lomé
Win 5–0 Togo Emmanuel Dudzro PTS 8 1967-05-02 Togo Lomé
Win 4–0 Ghana Shido Armah KO 3(8) 1967-03-01 Ghana Accra
Win 3–0 Ghana Bob Cofie TKO 6 (8) 1966-12-10 Ghana Accra Sports Stadium, Accra
Win 2–0 Ghana Abu Norgah TKO 4 (8) 1966-09-03 Ghana Accra Sports Stadium, Accra
Win 1–0 Ghana Famous Lartey PTS 6 1966-02-05 Ghana Accra Sports Stadium, Accra

Retirement

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David Kotey has lived a relatively modest and quiet life after retirement. He has gone through marital and financial difficulties and reportedly has some grievances about how his purse was disbursed during his boxing years.[6]

Loan to Ghana

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According to reports and Kotey's own story, in 1976, he loaned an amount of 45,000 dollars to the Government of Ghana, then led by Ignatius Kutu Acheampong.[9] The money was intended for the purchase of canned mackerel to mitigate the harsh economic and food conditions the country was facing. The loan had been facilitated by his management, which was led by Col John Slater.[9] According to Kotey, the money was part of his reward for defending his title against Japan's Fuku Yama in 1976. The loan has not been paid back to date because shortly after the canned mackerels arrived in the country, the Acheampong's regime was overthrown by General Akuffo in a military palace coup in October 1975.[9] In September 2019,the president of Ghana, Nana Akufo Addo noted that he would look into the issue.[10] This was at a meeting with a delegation of former world boxing champions from Ghana.[11][5]

The president of Ghana,Nana Akuffo Addo, on 6 October 2020 has directed an amount of $45,000 that was owed by Ghana to him on "compassionate grounds".[12][13]

Song

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After Kotey won the World featherweight title in Accra in September 1975, one of Ghana's leading highlife artists at the time, Senior Eddie Donkor released a song in Twi in his honour entitled "D. K. Poison Mo".[14]

See also

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Notes and references

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  1. ^ "On September 20, 1975 DK "Poison" becomes Ghana's first professional boxing world champion". Edward A. Ulzen Memorial Foundation. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Bukom: heartbeat of African boxing". BBC News:Africa. BBC. 25 June 2003. Retrieved 9 April 2007.
  3. ^ "D.K Poison: Ghana has failed me". The Globe. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  4. ^ "David Kotey". BoxRec.com. Retrieved 9 April 2007.
  5. ^ a b "D.K. Poison grateful to Prez Akufo-Addo". Graphic Online. Accra: Graphic Communications Group Ltd. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  6. ^ a b "A Hero's Anguish". News archive. Ghana Home Page. 20 August 2002. Retrieved 9 April 2007.
  7. ^ "David Kotey-Original Poison". koboxingforum.com. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  8. ^ a b "David Kotey". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  9. ^ a b c "Sad: Penniless 'D.K Poison' still chases after $45,000 he loaned to gov't". myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  10. ^ "Akufo-Addo to look into D.K. Poison's case". ghanaweb.com. 18 September 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Gov't to look into D.K. Poison's case". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  12. ^ "D.K. Poison to get $45,000 Ghana owes him back on 'compassionate grounds'". Graphic Online. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Government to settle $45K D.K. Poison loan less than 24 hours after The Boxing Loan documentary aired". MyJoyOnline.com. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Snr Eddie Donkor & The Internationals - D. K. Poison mo (Ghana)". 19 October 2019. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2020 – via YouTube.
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Achievements
Preceded by WBC Featherweight Champion
20 Sep 1975 – 6 Nov 1976
Succeeded by