Samir – A wasted career?

 On October 21, 2017, a relatively ‘unknown’ boxer in the person of Bastie Samir, stunned many followers of the nation’s pu­gilistic sport when he humili­ated Braimah ‘Bukom Banku’ Kamoko in a non-title fight at the Bukom Boxing Arena.

The more popular Banku was brutally stopped in round seven of their scheduled 12, catapulting the victor into instant stardom.

The loud-mouthed Bukom Banku, until that epic fight that drew a mammoth crowd, was unbeaten – winning all 29 fights. Indeed, Banku called himself the African May­weather, insisting he had no peers in the sport – at least, on the continental front.

Perhaps, unknown to many, Bastie – then impreg­nable in 16 fights, had dared Banku to a fight on countless occasions. He told the media how ready he was to lash Banku to pulp anytime the opportunity presented itself.

“Only a handful believed me when I said I was going to beat Banku like my own son. Many thought I was just brag­ging like others do. No! It’s not my style to brag. I believe the business had to be done in the ring,” Bastie told The Spectator Sports.

As a matter of fact, Bastie’s unassuming nature, discipline, focus, commitment and hardwork to the sport and above all, respect for the commonalty, has served as his own inspiration over the years.

Since that fight five years ago, Bastie had gone into a few combats – crushing his opponents via the short route. His ring-craftiness and invincibility has woven an ap­preciable level of popularity around him – extending to his halcyon amateur days where he won two gold medals and several honours.

Sadly, a couple of over­seas-based boxing manage­ment teams have chased Bastie, known as the Beast (for his brutality in the ring) including the Australia-based Super Entertainment & Sport Consortium, but the Ghana­ian boxer has almost always dragged his feet or chickened out – to the incredulity of all.

He once told this writer that the offers thrown at him, were not enticing as he would have loved – hence his reluctance to fully jump in or remain on board. Though one has tried hard convincing him to try and find a middle ground, he remains inflexibly adamant.

Interestingly, the unde­feated light heavyweight champion insists he can still box his path to become a world champion – a state­ment many people are now casting doubt over, believing time is no longer his ally.

Indeed, at age 37, he should be preparing to hang his gloves – but the formidably-bodied man thinks his silver lining is still hanging in the cloud.

“Never count me out yet. I believe what God has written would still come to pass,” he assert­ed.

Born to a former boxer, Bastie learned the gospel of punches to the head, face and body of oppo­nents as a kid before ven­turing into the ring. Given his then fledgling body and living under the tutelage of his inspiring father, a solemn and decisive mo­ment dawned for a new path, in spite of the odds that were stacked against him to prefer education to boxing.

Famished for fame, the Doobia threw overboard the academic pursuit to hunt for opponents and handlers in the fistic sport. There is no doubt that his entrenched tenacity, passion and aggression to ride on the crest wave can be said to have been the driving force in the boxer’s string of im­pressive haul of 21 fights and 20 wins by way of knockouts.

The Doobia clawed some massive approval when American showy boxer, Floyd Mayweather, enlisted the Ghanaian boxing genius as his sparring partner – later join­ing the camp of the famous boxing trainer and manager Kennedy Adams of Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promo­tions.

Seeing the prodigious talent of the youngster, De La Hoya signed a managerial and promotion contract to have Bastie under his tutelage. However, things did not work out prettily well – and the Doobia had to return home together with his equally talented brother Issah Samir who was also signed on.

The hard-hitting Bastie wrestled the African Am­ateur Championships title in the welterweight divi­sion in May 2007 and later represented Ghana and won silver at the 2007 All Africa Games where he qualified for the Beijing 2008 Olym­pics to represent the nation in the light heavyweight division.

He relocated to the US in 2008 and won many professional bouts there – crushing the likes of Mavin Blair, Jacob Alvarez, Joseph Dunn, Damon Reed, Billy Cunningham, and Greg Hacket. His sixth round split draw with Lester Gonzalez in April 2011 is the only blemish on his glitzy record.

Today, many experts think Bastie’s career has gone waste – an upshot of managerial upheavals, flawed decisions and indecisions. The former PBC Intercontinental light heavyweight champion, may have gone through some psychological wreckage and many wonder whether he could roll back the years and sparkle again.

Can the Doobia, who has returned to the USA (specifi­cally Las Vegas, Nevada) still prove everybody wrong?

Ghanaians cannot wait for that golden moment!

PlainTalk with John Vigah