Ghanaian featherweight boxer John “Abaja” Laryea has suffered the first defeat of his professional boxing career after losing to Argentina’s Adrián Maximiliano Robledo in a dramatic WBA featherweight world title eliminator at the Casino Buenos Aires.
The bout, held on Saturday, August 15, 2026, ended in the ninth round, bringing a painful night for the Ghanaian fighter and his supporters as his previously unbeaten professional record was finally blemished.
Laryea started the contest brightly, showing confidence and good activity in the opening stages as he looked to impose himself against the Argentine home favourite.
However, Robledo gradually grew into the fight and began finding success with heavier punches as the rounds progressed.
The Argentine reportedly scored knockdowns against Laryea in the third, fourth and fifth rounds, putting the Ghanaian under increasing pressure and shifting the momentum of the contest.
Laryea attempted to fight his way back into the bout, but Robledo continued to apply pressure and remained dangerous as the contest entered its later stages.
The fight ultimately came to an abrupt end in the ninth round, when Laryea was disqualified following a punch deemed to have landed below the belt.
The disqualification handed Robledo the victory and the WBA featherweight world title eliminator, while Laryea was left to absorb the first loss of his professional career.
The defeat is a major setback for the Ghanaian featherweight, who had entered the bout unbeaten and carrying high expectations from Ghanaian boxing fans.
Despite the disappointing result, the defeat represents only the first blemish on Laryea’s professional record, and the young Ghanaian will now have to regroup, assess the lessons from the bout and begin the journey back toward world-title contention.
For Ghanaian boxing, however, it was undoubtedly not the result the nation was hoping for in Buenos Aires.