It didn’t take long for George Ashie to find a common theme in a fight he never hesitated to accept.

As previously reported by BoxingScene.com earlier this week, the 38-year-old Ghanaian stepped up to replace an injured Anthony Young versus streaking welterweight contender Alexis Rocha. The show—which will air live on DAZN this Saturday from YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California—will mark the stateside debut for Ashie, who seeks to avenge a decades-long misjustice served to his legendary countryman Ike Quartey.

“I’m very happy. I want to prove to the fans that I belong. For me, this is the sequel to Oscar De La Hoya and Ike Quartey,” Ashie stated during the final pre-fight press conference Thursday held in the grand ballroom at Renaissance Los Angeles Airport hotel. “This time, it’s not going to Mexico. It’s going to Ghana.”

Quartey was a former WBA welterweight at the time of his February 1999 challenge of then-lineal and WBC 147-pound champ Oscar De La Hoya at Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV in Las Vegas, Nevada. De La Hoya survived a knockdown to score two of his own to escape with a disputed split decision victory in their twelve-round affair.

De La Hoya would go on to lead a Hall of Fame career and also formed Golden Boy Promotions, who promotes Rocha (21-1, 13KOs)—a proud Mexican-American, like De La Hoya, who proudly represents nearby Santa Ana, California. Ashie (33-5-1, 25KOs) and Quartey both hail from Accra, with Ashie fighting outside of Ghana for just the fourth time in his pro career and first in the U.S.  

“It’s a great opportunity for me,” said the 19-year pro, who has won five in a row since an August 2018 defeat to Stephen Ormond. “I was in training for a fight when this came along. I am ready for it.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox