Kotey Was Most Skillful In His Era - Agbeko

Former International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight titlist Joseph ‘King Kong’ Agbeko has described the late Alfred ‘Cobra’ Kotey as the most skillful boxer of his era.

Agbeko said the ex-World Boxing Organisation (WBO) bantamweight champion was a fighter he idolised while coming through as an amateur.

Kotey was pronounced dead last Tuesday at a hospital in New York where he had been on life support for sometime.

While paying glowing tribute to the late Kotey, Agbeko singled out Jessie Manyo Plange as the only boxer in recent times who could be compared to Kotey.

“He was too skillful and that made him one of the finest of his era. Kotey proved in the ring that he was very skillful whenever he fought,” Agbeko told Graphic Sports.

“You watch Alfred’s fight and you will enjoy every bit of it after his win. I learnt a lot from him when I was coming up. I used to call him to teach me his tricks because he was more than just a puncher in the ring,” he added.

Alfred Kotey became the nation’s fifth world champion after his unanimous decision victory over Puerto Rico’s Rafael Del Valle in 1994 to win the WBO belt.

He also held the West African and Commonwealth flyweight titles in 1989 and 1990 respectively during his heyday.

Born in Bukom in Accra on June 3, 1968, Kotey featured for Ghana in the 1988 Summer Olympics before turning professional in November that same year.

He was 52 years.