One year after the Ghana Boxing Interim Management Committee (GBIMC) was inaugurated, questions over the unfinished transition to elected leadership are at the centre of Ghana boxing.
Last Tuesday, September 29, marked one year since the committee was installed by Sports and Recreation Minister, Kofi Iddie Adams, following the dissolution of the GBA board and temporary suspension of the sport after two ring-related deaths within six months.
The IMC chaired by respected former GBA Chairman, Samir Captan, with the legendary Azumah Nelson as his vice, was originally handed a 90-day mandate, extendable by only 30 days, to restore safety, professionalism, implement reforms and prepare for democratic GBA elections.
At the inauguration, Adams declared: “We cannot keep doing things the same way and expect different results,” describing the intervention as a step to “sanitise the boxing ecosystem” and insisting: “No individual is bigger than Ghana boxing; it is a national treasure that must be preserved.”
There have been achievements. The IMC oversaw the return of sanctioned professional boxing in November 2025 after medical and safety reforms, introduced stricter health protocols, worked on insurance and developed what it described as the first comprehensive medical database for professional boxers.
It has also pursued licensing and administrative reforms.
Yet the central promise — elections and a handover — remains outstanding.
In February 2026, the National Sports Authority (NSA), backed by the Sports Ministry, granted the IMC a further three-month extension, with elections scheduled for May-June. June 4 was announced as the handover date.
But the election was postponed, with the IMC citing budgetary constraints, vetting, consultations and petitions over eligible voting gyms.
The IMC later said it had not received financial support from the NSA and Ministry to complete it, despite candidates having filed, paid prescribed fees and undergone vetting. It also cited disputes over gym classification and the electoral roll.
Dr Adae Opoku Amoako, an IMC Medical Subcommittee member, promoter, boxer manager and US based physician, believes safety must remain central.
“As a stakeholder who serves in several capacities within Ghana boxing, it is my hope that the sport can return to normal operations as soon as possible, with the safety, health and welfare of boxers remaining at the forefront of any decisions moving forward,” he told the Daily Graphic from his US base.
“I would welcome a clear account of the measures, recommendations or reforms that have emerged regarding boxer health and safety, and how these will help reduce the risk of similar incidents occurring in the future,” he said.
Dr Amoako who manages former national and IBF Africa champ Holy Dorgbetor as well as founded and heads Accra-based ACE Power Promotions emphasized: “The objective should not simply be the resumption of boxing, but the resumption of the sport with stronger systems that protect the athletes who step into the ring.”
Former IBF welterweight champion Joshua Clottey has also voiced frustration about representation and governance.
“Yeah, the whole thing about this election happening. I just don’t understand,” Clottey said. “They have to get off from there for us to have our votes. Then we get GBA president. Whom, if anything is going on bad, we can go and talk to,” Clottey expressed.
“Why, when it comes to boxing, the big men that control our country don’t really bother, but boxing is the sport that has won Ghana a lot of global honours and has put Ghan’s name in very high places” he questioned.
Graphic Sports sought responses from Minister Adams and the NSA on the IMC’s performance, when its mandate ends, when elections will be held, and the committee’s claim that it has received zero financial support or remuneration. No response had been received at the time of publication.
Stakeholders, meanwhile, continue to seeking clarity on vetting, the electoral process, the GBA congress, elections and the formal handover to elected leadership.
