Sports News of 2026-11-06
Today in History: The night D.K. Poison lost Ghana’s first world boxing crown
There are victories that make history and defeats that become part of a nation's sporting memory.
For Ghanaian boxing legend David Kotei, popularly known as D.K. Poison, November 6, 1976, was a day when the roar of home support could not prevent the loss of a historic world title.
On that day, Kotei surrendered his World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight championship to American challenger Danny 'Little Red' Lopez after 15 rounds at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The defeat marked the end of Ghana's first reign as a world boxing champion, barely 14 months after Kotei had achieved what no Ghanaian professional boxer had done before him.
But the story of that night cannot be told without revisiting the remarkable journey that took a young boxer from Accra to the summit of international boxing.
The road to the world title
Born in Accra, Kotei had built a reputation as a formidable fighter long before his name became synonymous with Ghanaian boxing history.
His defining moment came on September 20, 1975, when he travelled to Inglewood, California, to challenge Mexican champion Rubén Olivares for the WBC featherweight title.
Olivares was an established world champion, but Kotei refused to be intimidated. After 15 gruelling rounds, the Ghanaian secured a split-points decision victory to claim the championship.
The triumph was historic. Kotei became the first Ghanaian professional boxer to win a world title and, according to subsequent historical accounts, the first Ghanaian athlete in any sport to become a world champion.
He returned home not merely as a celebrated boxer but as a symbol of Ghana's growing presence in international boxing.
His achievement also helped establish a legacy that would later be carried forward by celebrated Ghanaian fighters, including Azumah Nelson, Nana Yaw Konadu, Ike Quartey, Joseph Agbeko and Joshua Clottey.
The night the crown changed hands
By November 6, 1976, Kotei's reign as WBC featherweight champion was facing its biggest test.
Standing across the ring was Danny Lopez, an American boxer determined to take the championship away from the Ghanaian.
The venue was the Accra Sports Stadium, making the contest particularly significant for Kotei, who was defending his crown on home soil.
The fight went the full 15 rounds, but the Ghanaian could not do enough to retain his title. Lopez was declared the winner by unanimous decision, bringing Kotei's world championship reign to an end.
It was a painful outcome for Ghanaian boxing fans. The man who had taken the country's name to the top of world boxing had been dethroned in front of his compatriots.
The result was officially recorded by the World Boxing Council as one of the defining title changes in its featherweight division on November 6, 1976.
Yet, the rivalry between the two fighters did not end at the Accra Sports Stadium.
On February 15, 1978, Kotei travelled to the United States for another meeting with Lopez, this time in Las Vegas. He was stopped in the sixth round by technical knockout, as Lopez successfully defended his championship.
A legacy bigger than one defeat
Although November 6 remains a painful date in the history of Ghanaian boxing, it does not diminish what D.K. Poison achieved.
His victory over Olivares had already broken a barrier for Ghana and demonstrated that local fighters could compete with and defeat the best in the world.
Decades later, his contribution continues to receive recognition. In January 2026, PKO Boxing and the PKO Foundation honoured him under their Restoring Legends Hope Campaign, recognising his pioneering contribution to Ghanaian boxing.
The recognition included a cash award, lifelong medical cover, a monthly stipend and other support.
His story also carries another remarkable chapter beyond the boxing ring. Kotei has spent decades seeking the return of US$45,000 which he said he lent to the government of the late General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong in 1976. The money reportedly came from his US$75,000 purse from a title defence against Japanese boxer Shig Fukuyama.
In October 2020, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo directed that the amount be paid to the former champion on compassionate grounds, following his long-standing appeal.
On November 6, 1976, D.K. Poison lost a world title. But he did not lose the place he had earned in Ghana's sporting history.
His name remains attached to a pioneering achievement: the moment Ghana announced itself as a force in world professional boxing.
And while Danny Lopez left Accra with the championship belt, Kotei's place as the man who first took Ghana to the world boxing summit was never taken away.
EA
