Bobby Short who is the older brother of Ghanaian boxer, Emmanuel ‘Gameboy’ Tagoe had high hopes of becoming a successful boxer but his dream was cut short after his first tournament outside Ghana.
According to the former player, his late uncle convinced him to follow him to Benin for a football tournament only to find out it was a boxing tournament. He recalled that he wanted to return home but had no choice but to fight for his life.
Sharing his ordeal in an interview with Dan Kwaku Yeboah, the skilful player said, “I was once a boxer before I became a footballer.”
“I hadn’t advanced in football so my uncle, the late Akese took us to Benin. He convinced us that we were going to play football but it turned out to be boxing and if you don’t fight you will have to walk back to Ghana. So I had no option but to fight.”
Born and raised in Bukom, the home of many Ghanaian boxing greats, Joe Tagoe said he would have chosen a career in boxing if he had won at least one fight at the tournament.
“If I had won a fight there I think I would have considered a future in boxing but because I was beaten I told myself boxing is not for me.
“My uncle knew I and some friends always like to fight during matches so when the chance came for the Benin deal he selected us the stubborn ones we were like 12. Joshua Clottey’s brother Emmanuel Clottey was even part.
“I knew I wasn’t cut for boxing because I suffered in the ring and I told myself not to go into any gym again,” the ex-player said.
According to Tagoe, he was outraged by the barrage of punches he suffered in the ring to the extent that he attempted to throw out his opponent in his final bout.
“I fought four bouts, I lost three and I was disqualified in the last fight. That last guy if he was in Ghana, I would search for him because I don’t know if someone told him to kill me, he beat me mercilessly.
“I managed to swerve one of his punches and he fell on my shoulder so I wanted to throw him away but the referee intervened and disqualified me,” he said.
After failing to win any of his fights, Bobby Short said, “my uncle only bought sardines and soap for us as a reward after the tournament.”
Watch Bobby Short tell his story in video below from 3:50 mins
