Ghana has been known on the sporting front for the triumphs of Prof. ‘Zoom Zoom’ Azumah Nelson, D. K. Poison, Ike ‘Bazuka’ Quartey among others who took to the ring and introduced Ghana to the world.
Today boxing in Ghana is not receiving the needed attention and supports as has other sports such as football. With the said investment in football, Ghana is yet to produce laurels that match the budget that preceeds their preparation.
A visit to the Charles Quartey Foundation and Gym got us interacting with Mr. Charles Quartey, the National Junior and Juvenile boxing team together with Mr. Nii Otoo Bruce-Tagoe who is the official photographer for the ACE Power Promotion boxing bout themed “The War Zone”.
To understand their plight with the current happenings in the sport, and why Ghana isn’t producing as many world champions as would have loved to, Mr. Quartey opined “you do not make world champions by just training in your gym where you have studied your teammates for more years, you need more than that. Exposure and experience from outside your comfort zone is what boxers need.”
With his experience as a boxer and a coach, it was obvious he had more to say. Mr. Quartey continued “during my time as a boxer, I traveled a lot and fought with different opponents which gave me a feel of how things work. The government needs to support the junior and juvenile national boxing team as well as the amateur team to travel and fight others to gain the exposure required in the ring.”
This issue has always come up any time any other sporting discipline besides football needed support. Nana Kojo Sakyie Eduafo-Quansah, a reporter from BoxinGhana.com asked Mr. Nii Otoo Bruce-Tagoe, “Is boxing getting the attention it requires?” Mr. Bruce-Tagoe after a sigh answered softly “if boxing and the other sports were part of the government’s budget, boxing and boxers will never lack but it is what it is.”
While the conversation went on, Mr. Quartey chipped in with an important note saying “Wahid Omar, a member of the National Amateur Team, Black Bombers won bronze at Scotland and still waiting for his medal payment. We have many people in government promising our boxers funds should they win titles and medals but one thing they forget is that you cannot send a hungry man to go and work diligently for you. With the said promise to the Black Bombers, it can be divided into two so that half can be used to facilitate their training and preparations while the other half awaits their performance. This is what we call motivation.”
With both Mr. Quartey and Mr. Bruce-Tagoe getting emotional about the hustle some of these talented boxers go through to get around their day, they stressed that it would be best if government’s support gets to the grassroots and not only to boxing administrators.
By Nana Kojo Sakyie Eduafo-Quansah
Read more on www.boxinghana.com