Former professional boxer and promoter Michael Ayittey Okine, popularly known as Ayitey Powers, has addressed circulating reports that he threatened to “gun down” National Sports Authority (NSA) Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah.

In a statement explaining his earlier remarks, Powers attributed the comments to anger and frustration over a long-running dispute involving the cancellation of his boxing promotion and unpaid compensation.

“Sometimes if you get angry and you don’t take time, that is what happens. I can kill even a goat. If things happen like this, it is very hurtful. If you know what I am going through, it is very sad for me,” he said.

Powers traced the issue to last year. He said he submitted receipts as requested but received no resolution. After approaching the Sports Minister, he was directed to NSA boss Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, yet he claims he has still not heard anything concrete about the money he is owed.

“I really invested in the promotion of this boxing match, and you cancelled it without telling me anything, and that made me go to that extreme by saying that. I didn’t mean it, and my brother and I have called Yaw. I have explained everything to him,” he stated.

The promoter, who described himself as a family man with people to feed, said he had asked Ampofo Ankrah for GH¢1,000 amid his difficulties but received no response. He accused the authorities of repeatedly delaying him with promises of “tomorrow”.

“You see, broken hearts are the reason for this and are a slip of the tongue,” Powers said. He added that he has not received any call from the police but is prepared to report and explain himself if contacted.

According to him, the cancellation of his event just one day before the scheduled promotion caused significant financial and emotional pain. He referenced a conference call involving Kelvin Taylor in which Ampofo Ankrah allegedly indicated that payment could only be processed after new Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) executives take office.

Powers noted that he had been complaining for a long time without response. “But today I said I would gun Yaw, then people are calling me now, and I didn’t mean it. It is just a slip of the tongue, and out of anger I used to do so.”

The remarks come amid reports that the Ghana Police Service is searching for Powers over the alleged death threat, which emerged in a live video circulating on social media. The dispute stems from the September 2025 suspension of professional boxing in Ghana following the death of boxer Ernest Akushey (Bahubali). Powers’ “Judgement Day” promotion, scheduled for the Bukom Boxing Arena, was cancelled at short notice, leading to claims of heavy financial losses.

Powers has previously reconciled publicly with Ampofo Ankrah in September 2025 and has continued to stage events, including a successful promotion in Winneba earlier this year. He has repeatedly called for compensation for the cancelled show.

As of Thursday morning, there was no official public statement from the Ghana Police Service or the National Sports Authority on the latest development.

Credit: Augustine Appiah