Cruiserweight prospect Abubakar Kamoko, better known by his ring name “Ambitious Tilapia,” has accused Bastie Samir of hiding behind a steep purse demand rather than facing him in the ring, insisting the veteran’s reluctance to lower his price is rooted in fear rather than financial principle.
Kamoko, the son of boxing icon Braimah “Bukom Banku” Kamoko, has made no secret of his desire to meet Samir, the man who handed his father the only defeat of his professional career. He says he has approached Samir on several occasions with a simple request: bring the figure down so the fight can be made.
Each appeal, he says, has gone unanswered on his terms, feeding his conviction that Samir would rather price him out than share a ring with him.
The showdown has already acquired a name in boxing circles billed by followers of the sport as either a “Repeat” or a “Revenge,” depending on which side of the rivalry one stands. For Kamoko, the label undersells what is at stake.
The 23-year-old has been explicit about his motivation, describing the prospective bout not merely as a matter of family pride but as a personal reckoning. He wants, in his own words, to beat and punish the boxer who stopped his father, a declaration that has only sharpened public interest in a fight that, for now, remains unofficial.
A Rivalry Forged in 2017
The roots of the feud stretch back nearly a decade. Samir, fighting as “The Beast,” moved up two weight divisions to face the then-unbeaten Bukom Banku at the Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra, and stunned the boxing establishment by stopping him in the seventh round, the first defeat of Banku’s career. That result has hung over the Kamoko family name ever since, and it is the shadow the son now says he wants to lift by settling the score himself.
The Boxers
Abubakar Kamoko “Ambitious Tilapia” Cruiserweight, son of Braimah “Bukom Banku” Kamoko trains at the Bronx Boxing Club, Bukom, unbeaten since turning professional in December 2024
Bastie Samir “The Beast” former Black Bombers captain and Beijing 2008 Olympian handed Bukom Banku his only professional defeat in 2017, senior staff at the Wisdom Boxing Gym
The demand Samir has called for a $50,000 purse and a signed contract before agreeing to terms
Where Talks Stand
Samir has not dismissed the fight outright. He has said he is prepared to step in provided promoters meet his financial terms and allow adequate preparation time, with a possible date later in the year under discussion.
Kamoko’s camp, however, continues to push for the fee to be negotiated downward, framing Samir’s insistence on the full amount as evidence of reluctance rather than a straightforward business position.
Kamoko trains out of the Bronx Boxing Club in Bukom, the same gym that gave his father his foundation in the sport, while Samir holds a senior staff role at the Wisdom Boxing Gym.