Boxing charity refurbishes Wisdom Gym, holds coaching clinic
The ring flooring at the Wisdom Boxing Gym in Accra has been refurbished, and equipment such as gloves and punching bags replaced by the UK-based charity, 'Boxing Is Love,' as part of its international sports development initiative that uses boxing to promote education, nutrition and literacy.
An official charity arm of UK-based leading global boxing equipment manufacturers Boxraw, Boxing Is Love representatives led by Spencer Lee Boya, are in Ghana to undertake several initiatives in alignment with their set goals.
In partnership with Wisdom Boxing Gym, whose administrator, Sarah Lotus Asare, is a long-time associate through her work with WBC Cares, Boxing Is Love’s planned activities during the visit include delivering 250 T-shirts to schools in Accra, running nutrition (Field to Fight) and injury-prevention programmes, as well as visiting multiple schools and boxing clubs later this week to make similar donations.
It also hosted a workshop for over 40 participants at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, attended by National Sports Authority Director-General, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, and representatives from both the Ghana Olympic Committee and Ghana Boxing Federation. Participants included representatives of the Ghana Professional Boxers Union, Besasaka Youth Team, Volta and Northern regions, as well as Lome, Togo.
The workshop tackled topics in boxing coaching, nutrition (Fuel to Fight), physiotherapy, and case-study group discussions and presentations with practical demonstrations.
Each beneficiary received a certificate of participation. Resource persons included West Africa’s only Level 3-certified IBA coach, Ofori Asare, and top dietitian Justin Sammah, who was the Lead Dietitian for Team Ghana during the Accra 2023 African Games.
Further, Boya revealed that Boxing is Love had existing and planned partnerships working in South Africa, Liberia, Nigeria, and upcoming projects in China, Indonesia and Vietnam.
He emphasised the need for long-term support in nutrition, physiotherapy, injury prevention and policy engagement with Ghanaian sports authorities to help talented boxers progress.
“Our mission is to bring sports science, nutrition, physiotherapy, and injury-prevention expertise to local gyms and pass on best practices, and to engage with Ghana sports authorities and the Olympic committee to promote boxing-based social programmes,” Spencer Lee Boya told the Graphic Sports.
