Personal interest, politics bane of amateur boxing — GBA Capo

THE recent failure of Ghana's national boxing team, Black Bombers, to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics has ignited widespread criticism and urgent calls for reform within the sport. 

Despite competing in all three qualifying events, the Bombers failed to secure any spots, marking a significant setback for a team that previously brought home Ghana’s first Olympic boxing medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

A former President of the Ghana Boxing Federation (GBF) and current President of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA), Abraham Kotei Neequaye, has expressed serious concerns about the underlying issues within the sport's management. 

During an interview with Graphic Sports, Neequaye attributed the Bombers' poor performance to the persistent focus on personal interests by officials and stakeholders. He emphasised that amateur boxing needed to be treated as a national assignment, with talents sourced from all regions of Ghana, rather than being concentrated in Bukom.

"We think boxing is only at Bukom, but boxing is not Bukom," Mr Neequaye stated, adding: "Talents abound in other regions in the country. If we don't tap such talents and harness them, we shall always gnash our teeth and see the Olympics from afar."

The disappointment is particularly perplexing given the substantial financial investments made by the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) and the government. 

High-profile boxers, including Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, Samuel Takyi, and popular fighter, Seth Gyimah, alias Freezy MacBones, were unable to progress beyond the initial stages of their respective qualifying events in Italy and Dakar.

Mr Neequaye also criticised the politicisation of amateur boxing, claiming that personal interests and political machinations had led to the selection of less qualified boxers over more talented ones. 

He called on the government to invest in amateur boxing and implement proper measures to ensure that the right talents were chosen for international competitions.

Meanwhile, GOC President, Ben Nunoo Mensah, attributed the Black Bombers' failure to indiscipline and lack of proper preparation. 

He noted that the boxers' inability to have residential camping ahead of the qualifiers significantly hurt their chances. Mr Nunoo Mensah also called on the government to build the necessary infrastructure and provide the tools needed to support amateur boxing in Ghana.