The Ghana Boxing Federation (GBF) will organise a bruising showdown this weekend as Ghana’s finest amateur boxers storm the Bukom Boxing Arena for spots in the national team, Black Bombers, with international exposure and future glory firmly on the line.
Accra will again take centre stage as the Individual Boxing Championships come off from January 29 to February 1 to select a new-look Black Bombers squad and reignite competition at the grassroots and elite levels, with over 500 young boxers from across the country expected to compete in what promises to be one of the most keenly contested national championships in recent years.
Teams from northern Ghana, Central, Western and Volta regions will converge on Accra, bringing together the nation’s finest amateur talents in a fierce contest for national honours and the coveted opportunity to represent Ghana on the international stage.
As a major incentive, two finalists in each weight division will earn automatic selection into the provisional national team, which will begin immediate preparations for upcoming international assignments. Chief among them is the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, scheduled for July 23 to August 2.
This weekend’s championships will also serve as a key assessment platform ahead of several World Boxing (WB) ranking tournaments scheduled for later in the year.
In addition, attention will be on the national youth team, Black Rockets, who are chasing qualification slots for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal, set for October 31 to November 13, and open to athletes aged 17 and under.
Beyond the ring, the new GBF President, Alhaji Dauda Fuseni, confirmed that plans are far advanced for the introduction of a Youth and Elite Amateur League, a cornerstone of his administration’s vision to rebrand and raise standards in Ghanaian boxing.
“I’m committed to changing Ghana boxing by focusing on three major areas—rebranding, transparency and regional integration in sports,” he stated.
“I am not happy with the current state of boxing in Ghana; that is why I contested the presidency. I want to elevate the standard and bring it back to the good old days,” he stressed.
Addressing the long-standing sponsorship challenge, the GBF president was candid that amateur boxing had not been successful in attracting corporate support because the GBF brand was not properly packaged and, therefore, failed to get the attention of potential sponsors.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh