Sports
I want to be like Azumah
• Azumah Nelson
Imagining something is one thing; making it a reality is another.
So when a number of young boxers were giving a microphone to interact with Ghana’s boxing icon and professor, Azumah Nelson, they freely shared their dreams to become like him.
That was understandable and acceptable.
The children numbering close to 100 were participants in a day’s Boxing Boot Camp at the Accra Sports Stadium on July 29 under the auspices of WBC Cares. It was to celebrate the 65th birthday of the legendary boxer.
As young and upcoming boxers, there is nothing wrong in having such dreams to become like Azumah Nelson who reached the pinnacle of boxing and is a World Boxing Council (WBC) Hall of Famer.
One after the other and in the presence of their trainers and a heavy media presence, the children expressed their desire and likeness for Zoom Zoom, a fighter they never watched live.
But through the power of television, they seem inspired by his exploits in the ring and the duration he lasted as a world champion; dominating the feather and super featherweight divisions considered a sanctuary for the dreaded Mexican fighters.
They were not saying that out of nothing because the boxing professor had earlier shared with them what it takes to be at the very top of their respective careers. So, to aim to be like Azumah Nelson, they knew what they were saying.
So, first of all, it is gratifying to have a generation of young boxers aspiring to reach the level of stardom but having such desires is not a guarantee for one to get there.
Like the boxing professor said, it requires a lot of sacrifice, self-discipline and discipline in and outside the ring.
Another opportunity realise this ambition of such children is the quality of training they get from their coaches as well as removing some of the administrative bottlenecks that hinder the growth and development of the boxer.
Quite often, concerns have been raised about the competence of local trainers and the need to upgrade them.
Secondly, it appears Ghana as a country has not been able to manage the transition from amateur to the professional ranks well and on many occasions, having boxers turning professional due to lack of activity at the amateur level.
The recent case of Ghana’s sole medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Samuel Takyi, turning pro after the Games and capitalizing on a boxing provision to rejoin the Black Bombers was a clear case of indecision on the part of a boxer and his advisors.
In guiding these young pugilists to become like Azumah Nelson, they must have the best of everything – good training from qualified coaches, good training regimen, sound administrative and managerial decision, and discipline and sacrifice from themselves.
The Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) and Ghana Boxing Federation (GBF), the two regulatory bodies for boxing in the country must also make it their responsibility to ensure that these children are handled by qualified personnel.
When this happens, it would surely push us closer to not just realising these dreams of the children but produce a new set of world champions.
And when we get there, the benefits may be more than just producing the next Azumah Nelsons because we may likely see new Ike Quarteys, Joshua Clotteys, Nana Yaw Konadus, Richard Commeys, Isaac Dogboes and other great boxers.
By Andrew Nortey
Ghana Premier League side, Nations FC, may have suffered the drop in the just ended Premier League and are destined for a fresh campaign in the Division One League (DOL).
But they stand a huge chance of remaining in the elite stage of the game as they face Dreams FC in an epic MTN FA Cup final at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium tomorrow at 6pm.
Dreams FC have been there before; going ahead to taste the honours in the 2022-23 season after defeating King Faisal.
Coming from a season that saw them crawl from the initial stages of the league to finish on a respectable fourth position, they come in as strong favourites to double their honours in the nation’s second top football competition.
History favours them in this regard. On their first final, they conquered and based on this, connoisseurs of the game have tipped them to make it ‘two-on-two.’
But Nations FC have been empowered by the age-old adage that “He that is down need fear no fall.”
Nothing can be worse than suffering relegation and exiting the limelight as far as exposure is concerned.
But the FA offers a decent opportunity to make them stay relevant.
Conquering Dreams FC would not just make them MTN FA Cup champions. It will grant them the prestigious slot to represent Ghana in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) second tier club competition- the Confederations Cup.
With Dreams FC harbouring the same ambitions, the stage is, therefore, set for a final that promises to be explosive and uncompromising.
The situation of Nations FC might have come to many as a surprise, considering their promising start to the season, with their defence especially, marshalled by Black Stars defender, Razak Simpson, and colleague central defender, Raymond Grippman, earning a lot of reviews.
But despite the struggles they endured at certain times of their campaign, the MTN FA Cup always provided slices of good fortunes as they managed to navigate their way to the final.
Road to the top
Nations FC began the MTN FA Cup competition on a promising note, enjoying some good runs with a win over DOL Zone Two side, Ebony FC, in the Round of 64.
That landed them in a tricky encounter with another high-flying Zone Two candidate, AshantiGold SC, a side that eventually won the title from the zone to qualify to the Premier League, but escaped.
At the round of 16 stage, they encountered and defeated Ghana Premier League side, Swedru All Blacks, 2-1 to gain progression to the quarter final stage where they edged Berekum Chelsea on penalties.
A dicey semi-final awaited them against Aduana FC in Swedru. It was a game Nations was given little chance to escape considering Aduana FC’s form but once again, they conquered to secure a final berth.
In total, the Abrankese-based club have scored eight goals and conceded only two throughout the competition, making them one of the strongest defensive sides in the tournament.
For Dreams FC, they defeated Division One League Zone Three side, Semper Fi, 2-1 to progress to the next stage of the competition where they accounted for Division Two side, Asanska FC, 2-0.
That handed them a quarterfinal berth where they faced Inter Allies and drew one all before winning 4-3 on penalties.
The happiest moment in their success story was a 3-2 semi-final win over GPL winners, Medeama SC.
With that feat, Dreams have been touted as potential winners as the match comes at a time the Nations FC side may be psychologically down over the weight of the challenge they face in the next season.
However, the competition has gain notoriety for not following any form guide and outcomes mostly coming as major surprises.
In this regard, Dreams may be tipped as favourite candidates but though Nations are wounded, the stakes could revive an insatiable desire to apply the brakes to turn the dreams of Dreams FC into a nightmare.
Support
The support from MTN Ghana has no doubt improved competition among the clubs with the attractive incentive packages for participating clubs.
MTN Ghana, which is celebrating 30 years of operations in Ghana, formally became headline sponsors of the Ghana FA Cup in the 2010/2011 football season after the competition had returned from an eight-year hiatus.
The first edition under MTN sponsorship was won by Nania FC, who defeated Asante Kotoko 1–0 in the final at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Since then, the competition has been known as the MTN FA Cup, with MTN renewing its sponsorship several times — in 2013, 2017, 2020 and again for subsequent seasons.
By Andrew Nortey
The Black Stars have opened camp in Cardiff ahead of next week’s international friendly against Wales.
The team is being taken through training drills by head coach Carlos Queiroz.
Thirteen players trained at Dragon Park on Monday, with others expected to join the squad on Tuesday.
They include Ernest Nuamah, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Jordan Ayew, Caleb Yirenkyi, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, Elisha Owusu, Gideon Mensah, Marvin Senaya, Jerome Opoku, Benjamin Asare, Joseph Anang, Solomon Agbasi, and Alidu Seidu.
The Black Stars will train in Cardiff for one week ahead of the international friendly against Wales on Tuesday, June 2, before traveling to the United States of America.
Coach Carlos Queiroz will use the period to assess his players before naming his final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Twenty-six players will be submitted to FIFA on Monday, June 1, as mandated by the competition regulations.
The Black Stars are drawn in Group L with Panama, England, and Croatia. They will open their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 17 in Toronto before facing England and Croatia in their other group matches.
