Sports
Black Rockets, our hope for years to come
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The failure to produce world champions, coupled with struggles of the national boxing team, the Black Bombers, have conspired to cast dark shadows over the progress of boxing in Ghana.
Since the loss of world titsles won by Richard Commey and Isaac Dogboe, the last set of world champions, Ghana has failed to get a boxer closer to that dream at the pay-per-punch level.
At the amateur level, the story has been gloomy for the Ghana Boxing Federation; failing to qualify boxers to major events, including the last Olympic Games.
These teething challenges must occupy the thoughts and minds of the administrators instead of the boardroom wrangling that has created chaotic scenes on the boxing space.
Clearly, some promotions staged recently were indicative of the fact that Ghana as a country has not lost it all. There are some boxers who are showing enough talents that needed the help of officialdom to make that giant leap to the international stage.
At the amateur level, the Black Bombers are not bereft of talent to take their rightful place in international boxing. What is missing are the regular competitions locally and the ability to partake in international competitions to stay alert and competitive.
The news of the Black Rockets- the younger version of the Black Bombers- to have shone at the just ended Africa Youth Boxing Championship in Guinea, therefore, comes as a gratifying news for lovers of the sport.
It is also a big feather in the cup of the GBF led by Mr Bernard Quartey under whose administration the feat was chalked.
The team, according to reports, put up a spirited performance at the 2025 Africa Youth Amateur Boxing Championship and capped it with three gold medals.
But for the Africa Games Accra 2023 success, this feat would have been the biggest in over decades.
The gold medals came from Desmond Pappoe, who knocked out South Africa’s Mighty Sangoni in the second round of the Men’s Middleweight (75kg) division, as well as Mathias Ashitey in the flyweight (51kg) category and George Dowouna in the bantamweight (54kg) division.
This win offers an assurance of Ghana’s ability in youth and amateur boxing, and the need to begin to raise new champions and potential world beaters through a systematic way of identifying talents for grooming.
Pappoe, Ashittey and Dowuona are young and upcoming brawlers at the youthful stages of the sport, getting guidance and tuition from another breed of upcoming coaches hungry for honours.
This is surely the way to go. It is important for the GBF to first of all identify such dedicated coaches whose focus must solely be on these youngsters.
Sometimes, the shift in concentration – as coaches manage both youngsters and professionals at the same time – bring a lot of distractions which in the end affects their upbringing.
These dedicated coaches must be trained and sponsored to participate in courses run by the International Boxing Association (IBA) to be certified.
After this, their core mandate should be a recruitment of young and talented boxers to join the Black Rockets.
The focus of this generation of boxers must be to participate in championships similar to the Africa Youth Championships or locally organised ones and finally aim to compete for spaces in the Black Bombers’ team.
For the feat, they deserve the commendation of all. Just as agencies of sports appear to have opened doors to welcome them and also share in the glory, it is a fervent hope and prayer that when the need for support arises for the Rockets to make similar trips, those doors would not be shut on them. Ayekoo to the Black Rockets.
By Andrew Nortey
CAF 2nd Vice President and President of the Ghana Football Association, Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, has visited the Black Princesses in Poland ahead of their opening game at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
The GFA President, who watched the team’s training session, assured the players of the Association’s full support and backed them to make history by qualifying from the group stage for the first time.
“A few days ago, I was in a chat with the head coach and I promised that I was going to join him for what I think is the most important game for us, which is the first game,” President Simeon-Okraku told the team.
“For me, the first game is the most important, because if we start well, chances are that we will do well. History tells us that this team has always been here. We’ve always been at this tournament for seven consecutive times. My inner faith is telling me that we have enough quality here to qualify from this group.”
He praised the players for their sacrifice and patience throughout preparations, saying their investment would be repaid on the pitch.
“You have been patient and gone through the troubles and the hassles. And you are here today. I believe that these sacrifices you have made, these investments you have made, will be repaid,” he said.
The GFA President stressed that Ghana has the quality to overcome their group opponents.
“We are faced by three opponents — Ecuador, Korea Republic and France. These three nations, believe me, are no better than us. We have enough quality in this team to win games in this group and to make it to the second round of the competition.”
“This tournament is played every two years, so after 14 years, this is the 16th year now — this group must be the one that makes it out of the group to the knockout stage. And this must happen.”
“I think the team is ready. The technical team have done a good job. The players have conducted themselves well. We will continue to support you to ensure you get the best to be able to compete at this level.”
He also charged the final squad to make those who missed out proud.
“A few of you were here but didn’t make the squad and had to leave. This is that moment that you have to make them proud.”
President Simeon-Okraku was accompanied to the training ground by Chief of Staff at the GFA, Michael Osekre, and President of Dreams FC, Jiji Alifoe.
Ghana will open their campaign against Ecuador on September 6, 2026, before facing Korea Republic and France in their other group matches.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
In the midst of the storm that rocked professional boxing organisation almost a year ago, a decision was taken which is unprecedented in the annals of the sport in Ghana.
Following the death of a Nigerian boxer in a Ghanaian ring, the modus operandi of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) was questioned in various quarters.
Just when the storm appeared to have settled, another disaster struck. Ernest Akushey ‘Baubali’, a famous local boxer was lost to the icy hands of death, 10 clear days after a bout. It was such an unfortunate incident. May he keep resting in peace.
Even before the cause of death comes out, the GBA administration was put on the chopping board, and became a gum in the mouth of all. Almost everyone ‘chewed’ some.
Perhaps, considering the weight and ignominy of the incident, the mighty and powerful had to step in, taking major decisions to ensure some sanity in the sport.
Among the popular decisions arising out of this intervention was the call for sweeping reforms that led to the establishment of an Interim Management Committee (IMC) which has now assumed the role of the GBA because of the failure to organize elections to handover to an elected body because of the non-availability of funds.
The second was the last minute cancelation of a promotion to be staged by former boxer, Michael Nii Ayitey Okai, aka Ayittey Powers.
There appears to be some calm over the first decision as boxing stakeholders wait patiently, hoping that the IMC does the needful in no time.
But the latter, regarding the cancelation of the bout has continued, becoming a tango between the former boxer-now-turned promoter and the Director General of the National Sports Authority, Mr Yaw Ampofo Ankrah (YAA).
The Accra Regional Police Command this week arrested the veteran boxer, after he has reported himself at the station, over an alleged threat of death made against Mr. Ankrah after a video of him talking about the issue went viral.
A police statement said ‘Dada Powers’ was arrested in connection with an alleged threat made against the NSA boss.
Sadly, the circumstances under which the decision to cancel the promotion was made and the absence of a precedent to follow, have made a solution difficult to come by, a year after.
One remembers the back and forth about the decision as to whether the fight would be staged or not.
With assurances that the fight would go on, Powers claimed to have paid so much to boxers in terms of purses and other organizational expenditures, only for the NSA boss to drop the ill-fated announcement cancelling the promotion.
Since then, Dada Powers has seen the decision as a unilateral one from the NSA boss and has constantly blamed YAA for his present predicament. What is, however not clear is the form of compensation Powers is asking for.
As of now, one is at a loss whether he is seeking a refund of his expenditure or awaiting clearance to stage the fight.
If it were to be the latter, there would be no problem with that since boxing promotion has return in full force with the IMC sanctioning close or over 10 promotions.
This problem should not have arisen in the first place if that decision had been carefully thought through. If that was done, it would have found a way out of the mess it created for both parties.
Clearly, Powers is seeking for a sort of compensation which he has failed to communicate well. Despite the guidance from well-meaning people, he decides to sometimes use some ‘ring’ tactics to express his concerns.
If Powers is not aware, he must be advised that there are laws that governs every transaction or activity so no matter how legitimate his concerns may be, he is bound by the same laws to demand for justice in the right way.
Now in the custody of the police and latest reports suggesting the matter has ended up in court, the focus now shifts from the substantive matter to his behaviour that puts him in a bad light for a certain class of people.
Instead of seeing Yaw as an ‘enemy of progress,’ he must show an interest in working closely with him and others to find an amicable solution.
Maybe by extension, the decision to cancel that bout should be subjected to a probe – to know how it came about, it merits and demerits and whether it was in the best interest for Ghana boxing.
By Andrew Nortey
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