Akufo confirms Gill split (From Halesowen News)

Akufo confirms Gill split

1:00pm Saturday 27th October 2012 in Local Sport

Halesowen kickboxing king Simon Akufo has confirmed his split with long-term trainer Kash Gill.

The WKF welterweight champion is busy preparing for his huge unification bout with Russian WKA champion Ilya Usachev, which takes place at Birmingham Irish Centre on December 1.

But for the first time since the two-time European champion took up the sport as a 16-year-old, Gill will not be in his corner.

The four-time world champion was a sparring partner for Akufo before he beat Chris Deakin to claim the world crown last October.

But the Halesowen fighter revealed he and his mentor had drifted apart in recent months.

He said: “It’s been going south for a while now, probably since May 2011 when I was supposed to be fighting for a world title but the show got pulled at short notice.

“Kash has a lot going on at the moment, he’s just released his autobiography and I’m just not sure how interested he is in training fighters.

“I don’t want to start getting involved in any arguments but after 15 years it’s a shame it’s ended this way.”

The rest of Akufo’s training team remains unchanged with the experienced Paul Murphy and Baggi Singh both on board for the Usachev bout.

Tickets for the Usachev fight are on sale now. Call WWKO Promotions on 07918 872571 for more details.