GBA presidential aspirant steps in to fund life-saving boxer screening
Aspiring Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) President Ivan Bruce-Cudjoe has thrown his weight behind efforts to clean up and safeguard Ghanaian boxing, fully funding the final phase of mandatory health screening for more than 150 professional fighters in Accra.
The intervention comes at a critical moment for the sport as the Ghana Boxing Interim Management Committee (IMC) races to complete sweeping reforms, including new health and safety practises for boxers, introduced following the dissolution of the GBA board last September after two boxing-related deaths rocked the industry.
Mr Bruce-Cudjoe, the CEP of boxing management firm, Cabic Promotions, covered the entire cost of last Friday's exercise for the participating boxers, providing a vital boost to a reform programme that officials say has struggled to secure funding.
The screening exercise, conducted in partnership with the Ministry of Sports and Recreation (MoSR) and the National Sports Authority (NSA), marked the final phase of a comprehensive health and safety initiative aimed at raising professional standards and protecting fighters throughout their careers.
Since assuming office, the IMC has prioritised athlete welfare, introducing enhanced medical and safety protocols while developing a digital medical records system for all licensed professional boxers.
The first phase of the programme was carried out last November with sponsorship from Star Assurance. Under that initiative, boxers underwent mandatory medical examinations as part of efforts to strengthen health monitoring within the sport.
With elections to install a substantive GBA leadership drawing closer, the IMC moved to complete the final phase of the exercise last week.
Boxers gathered at Jamestown — widely regarded as the heartbeat of Ghanaian boxing — to complete registration formalities, after which many beneficiaries were transported to La-Paz Community Hospital for laboratory tests and medical assessments.
The exercise almost never happened. According to IMC Coordinator Gideon Oyiadzo, the committee had spent more than six months searching for a sponsor after failing to secure financial support from either the NSA or the Ministry of Sports and Recreation.
"Ivan Bruce-Cudjoe heard about the challenges and opted to pay for the entire exercise, including bussing and refreshments," Mr Oyiadzo explained.
The IMC believes the screenings represent a key pillar of a wider health and safety strategy to rebuild confidence in the administration of professional boxing while placing athlete welfare at the centre of decision-making.
As part of that legacy, the committee has developed a secure digital medical records database for professional boxers. The system is currently undergoing deployment and testing and will be formally handed over to the incoming GBA executive board once elections are concluded.
The IMC has also urged boxers who missed Friday's exercise to report directly to the La-Paz Community Hospital, noting that their biometric and registration details have already been captured.
