The Black Bombers, Ghana’s national boxing team, are in Lagos, Nigeria, finalizing preparation as training winds down for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, set to start on April 4th.
The Commonwealth games will feature athletes from over 70 nations. Ghana’s Black Bombers are expecting a stern challenge, following a disappointing Olympic performance in Rio 2016, where the country’s sole boxing representative was ousted in the opening round.
Others teams currently training in Lagos are Benin, Togo and the host country. Boxers from the four countries are sparring and preparing alongside each other in what should help sharpen all involved parties. The Bombers are expected to wrap up their work in Nigeria next week. They will return home and then head to Australia two weeks after that to get acclimated to the environment there.
Under the guidance of Peter Zwennes, president of the Ghana Boxing Authority, Ghana has witnessed a resurgence in boxing on a professional level. However, in order for that to continue, the same must be done on an amateur level. Funding for amateur boxers, both from corporations and from the national government, is still an issue. Whether the Youth & Sports ministry intends to rectify this remains to be seen.
In the interim, the Ghana Boxing Federation is doing its part in ensuring that the Bombers get the kind of work they need in preparation for the international stage.
From David Kotei, aka D.K. Poison, down to Joseph Agbeko, Ghana has produced a number of world champions. Richard Commey and Isaac Dogboe are two world class fighters who are expected to obtain more for the country in 2018. Rising bantam Duke Micah is closing in on a world title shot and Fredrick Lawson remains in the mix as well.
Ghanaian roots in boxing are strong. With the right nourishment and care from those empowered to do so, this should continue.
