# Kofi Stops Isiaka in Seventh Round to Claim WBO Africa Crown in Accra Source: SportsBriefly (https://sportsbriefly.com) Canonical URL: https://sportsbriefly.com/en/boxing/kofi-stops-isiaka-in-seventh-round-to-claim-wbo-africa-crown-in-accra-2026-11-07 Language: en Published: 2026-11-07T15:02:39.429+00:00 Updated: 2026-11-07T15:02:39.485615+00:00 > Dana Kofi stopped Raimi Isiaka in the seventh round to win the WBO Africa super welterweight title in Accra. ## TL;DR - Dana Kofi stopped Raimi Isiaka in the seventh round to win the WBO Africa super welterweight title in Accra. - A cut above Isiaka's left eye worsened in round seven, and referee Roger Barnor stopped the 12-round fight on medical advice. - Kofi entered the bout on a seven-fight knockout streak and had showboated early before settling into a measured approach. - Emmanuel Mankatah Sackey beat Ezekiel Annan for the WBO Africa lightweight title on the same card. - Samuel Opaogun won the WBA Africa Gold welterweight title after Jesse Lartey retired in the fourth round. ## Key points - Dana Kofi stopped Raimi Isiaka in the seventh round to win the WBO Africa super welterweight title in Accra. - A cut above Isiaka's left eye worsened in round seven, and referee Roger Barnor stopped the 12-round fight on medical advice. - Kofi entered the bout on a seven-fight knockout streak and had showboated early before settling into a measured approach. - Emmanuel Mankatah Sackey beat Ezekiel Annan for the WBO Africa lightweight title on the same card. - Samuel Opaogun won the WBA Africa Gold welterweight title after Jesse Lartey retired in the fourth round. ## A homecoming decided by a cut Dana Kofi became the WBO Africa super welterweight champion on Friday night, stopping Nigerian veteran Raimi Isiaka by technical knockout in the seventh round of their 12-round main event at Cleaver House in Accra. The finish came on medical advice, after a cut above Isiaka's left eye that had opened in the fifth round worsened shortly after the seventh began, and referee Roger Barnor brought in the medics before waving the contest off. It was a strange ending to a fight that had not followed the script the home crowd expected. Kofi, the 23-year-old Ghanaian known as Achilles, entered the bout riding a seven-fight knockout streak and carrying the backing of a packed banquet hall. Yet for long stretches it was Isiaka, the older and more disciplined visitor from Nigeria, who looked the steadier boxer, sticking to his basics while Kofi indulged in early showboating that left his defence open. The win also carries Kofi up the African super welterweight rankings and positions him for bigger fights, while Isiaka leaves convinced he could have continued. ## Showboating, then a wake-up cross Kofi's ring walk set the tone for the evening. The proud representative of Konkomba entered the arena alongside cultural dancers and drummers in traditional headpieces, turning his arrival into a celebration of his heritage before a single punch had been thrown. The crowd responded to every flourish, and at the first bell Kofi seemed determined to entertain them, showboating with little attention to his defence. Isiaka refused to play along. The Nigerian veteran stayed patient, kept his shape, and in the third round landed a precise cross that snapped Kofi out of his exhibition mood. It was the punch that changed the fight's character. From that moment Kofi pursued a more calculated approach, aware that a major regional title was on the line and that his opponent was not there to be humiliated. Even so, the middle rounds belonged more to Isiaka's discipline than to Kofi's power. Isiaka worked behind his fundamentals and was possibly winning a few rounds on the judges' scorecards as the contest moved past the halfway point of its scheduled distance. ![A pair of red boxing gloves photographed on a plain background.](https://api.sportsbriefly.com/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1794063741879-pab7dn-boxing-inside1-2026-11-07-evening.jpg) ## The fifth-round cut changes everything The turning point arrived in the fifth round, when Isiaka suffered a cut above his left eye that needed medical attention. The injury did not stop the fight immediately, but it gave Kofi a target and Isiaka a problem that only grew worse with every exchange. Blood and swelling around the eye made the Nigerian's defence harder to hold, and the Ghanaian began to press with greater confidence. Shortly after the seventh round began, the bleeding worsened. Referee Roger Barnor called in the medics, and on the doctor's advice he stopped the fight and awarded the victory to Dana Kofi. The decision was a technical knockout, not a matter of the scorecards, and it spared Isiaka further damage at the cost of his chance to fight his way back into the contest. Isiaka was visibly upset with the result, believing he could keep going despite the bleeding. It is the familiar frustration of a boxer stopped on a cut: the injury is real, the danger is genuine, and yet the fighter's instinct is always to continue. The ringside doctor's call was final, and the belt went to the Ghanaian. ## Three belts on one banquet night The main event was only one of three African titles contested on the Cabic Promotions card, billed as the Pound-4-Pound Glory night and staged as a banquet event with tables sold to guests at Cleaver House. Deaf boxer Emmanuel Mankatah Sackey defeated Ezekiel Annan to claim the WBO Africa lightweight title in an all-Ghanaian contest, adding a second belt for the home nation on the night. Sackey's victory underlined his standing as one of the most distinctive figures in Ghanaian boxing, a fighter who has built his career on pressure and persistence. The third title also changed hands in abrupt fashion. Samuel Opaogun, known as Omo Daddy, won the WBA Africa Gold welterweight title after Jesse Lartey was forced to retire on his stool in the fourth round because of a leg injury. ![The Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra, Ghana, photographed in 2019.](https://api.sportsbriefly.com/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1794063755967-zdgweo-boxing-inside2-2026-11-07-evening.jpg) ## What the title means for Kofi For Dana Kofi, the WBO Africa super welterweight title is the most significant prize of his young career. The 23-year-old has built his reputation on knockouts, and this win extends his run of stoppage victories while adding a recognised regional belt to his name. Regional titles of this kind are the traditional stepping stone for African fighters toward continental rankings and, eventually, world-level opportunities. The manner of the victory will invite scrutiny. Kofi did not overwhelm Isiaka, and for stretches of the fight he looked the less composed boxer. But championship boxing rewards the fighter who is still standing when the fight ends, and Kofi found the opening the cut provided. The win also strengthens the position of Cabic Promotions in Accra, where the promoter's banquet format continues to draw crowds to Cleaver House for nights built around Ghana against Nigeria matchups. Three titles, three stoppages, and a new champion gave the promotion exactly the kind of evening it had promised, even if two of the three belts were decided by injury rather than by clean finishes. Kofi will now climb the African super welterweight rankings and wait for the high-profile fights his new title should bring. Isiaka, meanwhile, can point to the rounds he banked and the cut that denied him the chance to finish what he had started. Mentions: Dana Kofi, Raimi Isiaka, WBO Africa, Cleaver House, Accra, Roger Barnor, Emmanuel Mankatah Sackey, Ezekiel Annan, Samuel Opaogun, Jesse Lartey, Cabic Promotions, Konkomba, WBA Africa, Nigeria, Ghana ## Sources - [boxinghana.com](https://www.boxinghana.com/dana-kofi-defeats-raimi-isiaka-to-win-wbo-africa-title/) - [newsghana.com.gh](https://newsghana.com.gh/cabic-stages-three-african-title-fights-at-cleaver-house/) - [watchghana.com.gh](https://watchghana.com.gh/news-detail/2026/15316/cabic-promotions-to-host-banquet-boxing-night-with-three-african-titles-at-stake) - [modernghana.com](https://www.modernghana.com/sports/1399459/two-ghanaian-boxers-stop-nigerian-counterparts.html)