Mullings denied title in Ghana

Jamaica's leading welterweight boxer Sakima Mullings, failed in his bid to win the vacant World Boxing Council International Silver Welterweight title on Saturday night, when he lost by majority decision to Ghanaian Fredrick Lawson, at the Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra, Ghana. The scores showed wide disparities.

Judge Daniel Van de Wele scored the fight 114-114, judge Eddie Pappoe 116-113, while judge Lateef Muiss had Lawson winning by a wide margin 119-109, which meant that he scored only one round for Mullings. It was however, a close a fight, as shown by the other scorecards.

Mullings entered the ring with a 19-2 record, with 14 victories, either by knockout or technical knockout. Lawson had a 24-1 record, with 20 victories inside the distance.

With these records, there was an expectation that the fight could end early, but this was not to be. It turned out to be a close encounter, with both boxers seizing the initiative from time to time.

CLOSE RANGE

Lawson, who won the Inter-national Boxing Federation's, International welterweight title in 2013, and trains in Chicago, showed good boxing skills and was also resourceful at close range.

Mullings had his periods of ascendancy, but Lawson managed the fight very well, and cheered on by the hometown crowd, he kept the Jamaican under constant pressure. The fight meant a lot to him he said afterwards, because it was a part of Ghana's 60th anniversary celebrations. At the end of the fight, he dedicated the victory to his country.