Ghana clinched a single bronze medal in boxing thanks to 21-year-old Amadu Mohammed in the men’s 55 kg (bantamweight) division at the just-ended 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
It was a poor return from a total pool of ten boxers, a far cry from the two silver and a bronze annexed four years ago in Birmingham by nine representatives in the fistic sport.
Despite the uninspiring performance – which has prompted scrutiny of the team’s overall output – the country’s boxing fraternity has united behind a common message following the Black Bombers and Hitters’ campaign in Glasgow.
Head coach, Ofori Asare, insists that sustainable success can only be achieved through long-term investment, athlete development and technical support rather than unrealistic expectations.
Responding to criticism, Coach Asare defended his technical team, arguing that coaches cannot produce miracles without adequate experience and preparation.
Many debutants
The veteran trainer explained that the majority of Ghana’s squad were making their Commonwealth Games debuts, with some competing at their first major international tournament.
“It’s easy to blame the technical side because you see them very close to the athletes, but there are so many things that the technical team has to work on and, being a technical person, you are not a magician,” Asare said
“Only one person in this team had been to the Commonwealth Games before. For all the others, this was their first time, and for some it was even their first international competition,” he said, citing the experience gap as a key factor in several defeats.
“You cannot expect them to perform at the level of opponents who have competed at two or three Commonwealth or Olympic Games,” he explained.
Asare’s assessment echoed the broader sentiments expressed during a post-Games engagement involving National Sports Authority (NSA) Director General, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, Ghana Boxing Federation (GBF) President, Dauda Fuseini and Ghana
Sports Fund Administrator, Dr David Kofi Wuaku, who were all at ringside in Glasgow to support the boxers.
Investment
While each acknowledged the disappointing overall return, they emphasised continued support, stronger technical preparation and greater investment in youth development as the pathway to restoring Ghana’s boxing fortunes.
Their collective message signalled that Glasgow 2026 should serve not as a verdict on Ghana boxing, but as the beginning of a rebuilding process.
With renewed commitments to improve technical capacity, strengthen athlete pathways and provide better institutional support, stakeholders believe the lessons from Glasgow can lay the foundation for a stronger Black Bombers team at future major championships, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
“First of all, I give glory to God; he knows best, even though this was not what I expected. My target was gold,” Amadu reflected after receiving the bronze medal last Saturday.
“But this is not the end; I thank everyone who kept praying for me. They should keep supporting me, and one day I will surely bring what they want,” he said.
