Tokyo 2020: Samuel Takyi’s gold-winning dream ends after succumbing to American opponent

Ghana’s Samuel Takyi’s march to gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games was truncated after he was beaten by his American opponent Duke Ragan on Tuesday dawn Japan.

Takyi, 20, lost the bout 4-1 by split decision as he was slightly dominated by his America opponent.

The Discipline Gym boxer reached the semi-finals after mauling Colombian David Ceiber Avila last week.

Duke, 23, started his journey in Tokyo with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over French boxer Samuel Kristohurry in the preliminaries before advancing to meet Kazakhstani Serik Temirzhanov on a 5-0 score.

Takyi started strong, scoring on sharp jabs and using his height advantage, taking the first round 3-2. But Round 2 went to Ragan, who was technically superior, then really turned it on early in the third, scoring with a bruising left-right combination and keeping Takyi from landing those rangy punches, working it inside.

Ragan outclassed the Ghanaian in the last two rounds of the bout and managed a slender lead over the Ghanaian in the subsequent rounds.

Takyi attempted to come into the contest in the ending rounds but his last-gasp punches and show of energy were not enough to win him the fight.

He joins the pantheon of Ghanaian Olympic boxing greats Clement Quartey, a light welterweight who won silver in Rome 1960, Eddie Blay a bronze light welterweight medalist from Tokyo 1964 and Prince Amartey who made history in Munch 1972.

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