Ike Quartey
| Ike Quartey | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Isufu Quartey |
| Nickname(s) | Bazooka |
| Rated at | |
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Reach | 180 cm (71 in) |
| Nationality | Ghanaian |
| Born |
27 November 1969 Accra, Ghana |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 42 |
| Wins | 37 |
| Wins by KO | 31 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Draws | 1 |
Isufu "Ike" Quartey (born 27 November 1969) is a Ghanaian former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2006. He held the WBA welterweight title from 1994 to 1998, and challenged once for IBF junior-middleweight title in 2000.
Quartey is a member of Accra's Ga tribe. He is the youngest of 27 children. His father reportedly had five wives. His older brother Isaac Quartey won a silver medal in the 1960 Olympics.
Quartey had an amateur record of 50-4, and represented Ghana as a Light Welterweight at 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.
Quartey turned professional in 1988, a day short of his nineteenth birthday. He started his boxing career under the guidance of Yoofi Boham, without doubt the most successful manager in Ghana, and also father-in-law of former World boxing champion Azumah Nelson.
Boham got Quartey recognized as a boxer on the international scene. Boham managed Quartey alongside Alfred "The Cobra" Kotey and gave them the names Bazooka and Cobra. Quartey and Kotey were so close that many thought they were brothers.
Quartey began his professional career with a 2nd-round knockout of Mama Mohamed. Most of Quartey's early fights were staged in Ghana, before he relocated to France.
In Quartey's 26th fight he was given a shot at the WBA welterweight title, held by the then undefeated Crisanto España of Venezuela. Quartey knocked out Espana in the 11th round. At the time of the stoppage one judge had Quartey ahead, one had him behind and a third judge had the fight even.
He defended his title successfully seven times. Among his foes were Alberto Cortes, Vince Phillips, and Oba Carr. In October 1997 he fought José Luis López to a draw. The decision was originally read as a win for Quartey but reversed when a flaw was found in the scoring. Although Quartey was down twice, most observers felt that he deserved the victory and his reputation suffered little damage.
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