It was in the wee hours of June 04, 1994, and I remember how myself and my siblings sat through the night, as did lots of Ghanaians, to watch the young Ike Quartey take out Crisanto Espana in the 11th round of their scheduled 12 round bout to become a world boxing champion after the likes of D.K Poison and the legendary Azumah Nelson.
It was in Levallois, France, and Ike, then 25 with a (25-0) record, stopped his opponent (30-0) by way of a knockout to be crowned the WBA Welterweight Champion.
Typical of our brethren strewn along the coastline in areas like Bukom, Chorkor etc, they went on what is known as ?Adjaben? (hitting the streets for hours unend amidst drumming, dancing and singing), to celebrate the success of a son of their soil.
And as was the norm those days, Ike returned home to a rousing welcome and was given a kingly ride around town.
Ike Bazooka was king of the world and in his homeland Ghana and his native Bukom area, he was hailed and worshiped.
Call it an over bloated sense of importance or a false sense of grandeur and you won?t be far from the truth; that was what was to become the lot of Ike for years after he became a king of the ring.
A typical rags to riches story, Ike had reached very dizzy heights in the ring as well as financially and he seemed to forget how the story began.
Talk about Ike carving a bad boy image for himself and it would be like pricking a bull with a pin.
The guy just seemed to be working very hard by the minute to make enemies and he really succeeded in becoming a public enemy.
His wins did not excite most Ghanaians any longer and it was no wonder that the people of Bukom went on another ?Adjaben? when Ike lost his first ever professional fight to Oscar De La Hoya on February 13, 1999, in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a WBC Welterweight fight.
His own people poured powder on themselves, draped themselves in white calico, danced and sung because Ike had been beaten in the ring.
The defeat Ike suffered was a source of great joy to the people of Bukom and lots of Ghanaians because the arrogant kid had been humbled in the ring.
It was really a sad reflection on Ike?s image and I remember how some BBC Fast Track reporter at the time said that, all his life as a sports reporter he had never come across virtually a whole country go agog because one of theirs had been defeated in any sporting discipline. That was how bad it was for Ike.
After a second defeat, this time to Fernando Vargas, on April 15, 2000, at the same Las Vegas, Nevada venue, Ike took a bow and went under water.
In the period he was under water, he became a Rastafarian, wore dreadlocks and reportedly was just a wild party animal.
When the Bazooka man announced his return to the ring after a five year layoff, the reaction of many of us was that he had run out of cash and following in the footsteps of some of the boxers before him, was resurrecting a dead career in order to make some money to keep body and soul together. We were cynical and we had every right to be.
Apparently, Ike was not really cash-strapped.
The man really missed the ring and wanted to get back into the ring and do what it was that brought him fame and riches.
Ike cleaned up his act, shaved his dreadlocks (not that I have anything against dreadlocks), stopped being a party boy, was no more brawling on the streets, and retreated to his new base in Gbawe to begin his journey back to the top.
I must confess that the new Bazooka caught my attention and I actually went on my knees and prayed the night before his first comeback fight, for him to win.
There was something about the new Ike Quartey that struck a cord in me and I genuinely wanted him to succeed and in the process put Ghana once again in the spotlight as regards boxing.
Ike has not been able to push his comeback agenda to the finishing line having lost his last two fights but for me Ike is still a champion.
Ike is for me a champion and we must sing a song for him not because of what he has achieved in the ring since staging a comeback, but because he has decided to give back to Gbawe what it gave him by way of comeback tonic, by proposing to build a modern hospital for the community.
We can only build our nation Ghana if we are healthy and that is why I would sing a song for Ike for what he intends to do.
Some people have said that the services that the hospital would provide would not be for free and so Ike should not be patted on the back for what he intends to do.
How on earth are the health personnel who would man the hospital to be paid if the services are virtually for free?
And how is the hospital to be maintained if no fee is charged?
If I heard Ike right, he said that the charges would be reasonable because he is not oblivious of the fact that the people of Gbawe are not among the most economically viable group in Ghana. Sensible talk if you ask me.
Ike?s resources are not infinite and so if fees are not charged would the hospital not die in no time?
Ike has asked the government to grant him tax exemptions as regards the materials and equipments that would be imported for the project and I think that it is a request that should be acquiesced to without a second thought. The government should not hesitate to help Ike to help the people of Gbawe.
The good old book tells us that there is more blessing in giving than in receiving and I hope the blessings flow in the direction of Ike as he gives a hospital to the people of Gbawe.
Ike Bazooka Quartey, ayekoo.
NB. It is heartening to hear that Ebo Quansah has finally succumbed to better judgment and has decided to not only hand over as president of SWAG, but has also decided to vacate the SWAG Guest House which has been his home for the past four years.
It is hoped that it would never happen again in the annals of SWAG that its president would covet the Association?s Guest House and turn it into his home.
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