Ghanaian boxer Joseph Agbeko has kicked against female boxing.
According to him, although he believes women can do what men can do, boxing should be a preserve of men.
Speaking on the Class Morning Show on Class91.3FM on Monday, 11 April 2022, about whether or not he would groom any of his children to take after him, Agbeko said he has daughters and would not encourage them to follow in his footstep.
Agbeko, also known as King Kong, told show host Kofi Oppong Asamoah: “I’ve two girls and I do not support female boxing. People can disagree with me [but] I believe everything men can do, women can do even better but when it comes to boxing, I feel men are born warriors”.
He explained that in times past, “men have to go to the war front” and hunt game for their wives to prepare food for the family, and, so, in his opinion, “I don’t think its good for women to go out there and shed blood, so, I don’t support women boxing and I don’t think any of my kids will get into boxing.”
He, however, noted that if he had a male child and “he wants to become a boxer, maybe he’ll be the greatest because I’ll transfer every knowledge to him”.
Agbeko is a two-time former bantamweight world champion, having held the IBF title twice between 2007 and 2011. Additionally, he held the Commonwealth bantamweight title from 2004 to 2006; the IBO bantamweight title in 2013; and has challenged once for a super bantamweight world title in 2013.