Boxing has been one of the sports that has kept Ghana on the world map for years and has produced many world champions who we celebrate today. The Authority responsible for professional boxing, Ghana Boxing Authority has been asleep for a number of years as things were taken lightly and little done to ensure boxer confidence in until a rapid turn around.
Mr. Abraham Neequaye Kotei after assuming office as the new GBA president has made tremendous changes including but not limited to the ensuring boxers and managers are enrolled on the National Health Insurance Scheme, Copies of all contracts between managers and boxers be dropped at the GBA secretariat among others.
Today, the GBA in their bid to ensure accurate information is fed to the general public and boxing lovers havd duly lunched their own website where boxing lovers can go through archives and others documents with regards to new and former world champions of Ghana and well as the boxing history of Ghana.
This is one such step in the right direction and has been hailed by name who were in attendance. The Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) also officially unveiled 10 new national title belts in their bid to motivate local boxers and boost local boxing competitions, these national titles are the first to be acquired and will be kept and defended by boxers who fight through the ranks for it.
The president of the Ghana Boxing Authority, Mr. Abraham Kotei Neequaye while given the podium stated,
“in our bid to reviving professional boxing in Ghana, we had to be proactive and determine what can attract prospective professional boxers to stay and fight than to leave the shores and fight for other countries. It is not just the belt but also, we have been in deliberations about the purse of boxers during title and non-title bouts.
You would agree with me that these three critical components are very essential to the realization of our vision and purpose of pro-boxing in Ghana. My utmost agenda in the realization of my vision is to consider the welfare of active boxers and their trainers and coaches,”
Present at the unveiling were former boxing Champions Prof. Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey, Joseph Agbeko, Hon. Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye to grace the occassion. The prolific and pragmatic President added, “i am poised in the creation of an administrative setup that will enable effective communication among stakeholders, boxers and the government. This will ensure we are always on the same level when it comes to going forward. We can not do it along without these stakeholders and we will keep pushing till we reach the top.
With many calling for a national boxing league to keep Ghanaian local boxers in shape and ring ready, Mr. Kotei added there would be a launch of a new boxing league in the coming weeks to help provide boxers with enough competitions to keep boxers in shape.
