Nathaniel Kpakpo Allotey is a former national Super Lightweight Champion
Former national Super Lightweight Champion Nathaniel Kpakpo Allotey, also known as “The Punisher,” is optimistic that the exposure gained from his fight outside Ghana will propel him into a better fighter, ready to battle on the international stage.
Allotey suffered a unanimous points decision loss to highly rated Indian slugger Faizan Anwar after ten grueling rounds of welterweight brawl in the main event of the Super Fighter Series 3 in Bengaluru, Bangalore, in the Asian country last Sunday, May 18, 2025.
It was just the second defeat for Allotey, whose only other career loss came in an attempted defense of the Ghana super lightweight title against Robert Quaye in Accra in October 2018.
He had annexed the national title back in 2017, but his career stagnated between a difficult 5-year span between 2019 and 2024, when he only took two fights, one in 2021 and another in 2023.
Aside from the deadly COVID-19 epidemic, which brought the world and sporting events to a temporary halt in 2020, Allotey blamed his inactivity on his longtime manager, US-based Jacob Zwennes, and desperately sought a release from that relationship.
His pro career was given a new lease on life when his request for termination of the managerial contract with Zwennes was approved by the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) last year.
Now handled by his father, Allotey quickly booked a ring date last October, dismantling Kofi Ansah Raymond in round 2 of a super lightweight fray scheduled for 8 rounds.
Kpakpo Allotey’s revival continued with a round 6 TKO of Moses Dodzi in his next fight until the opportunity to face Dubai-based Anwar sprang up earlier this month, and despite the short notice, the Ghanaian eagerly accepted the challenge.
The disadvantages were enormous, as it was also a first fight at welterweight for Allotey, but the Ghanaian was fearless, standing toe-to-toe with the Indian standout, whose only previous fight in his country was on his December 2019 debut of a now 20-fight career.
All 18 other fights had been in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where Anwar has been living and fighting out of since 2020. For his return to India, the fans of Anwar showed up in their numbers to cheer him on, but Allotey wasn’t intimidated.
The Ghanaian fought his heart out and took the fight to the distance, much to the frustration of the home crowd.
In the end, all three judges scored it comprehensively for Anwar, 99-90, 100-89, 100-89, but Allotey maintains that this was a big learning curve and it has prepared him for tougher tasks ahead as he keeps pushing for international fights and titles.
“It definitely was a tough fight, but I am happy to have gone all ten rounds. The crowd were very hostile, but I focused on the job in the ring and put my heart out there.
“I didn’t get the result I wanted, but I learned from this fight. This is the first time I fought outside Ghana, and it was also not my weight, but I love challenges. I thank Ghanaians for their support, and I promise them victory next time,” Allotey said after the fight.
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