Former Sports Minister, Nii Lante Vanderpuye has expressed belief that Ghana has the potential to become a better sporting nation in boxing than in football, following the recent discovery of talented young boxers from the northern part of the country.
Boxing has a rich history in Ghana, having produced legendary fighters like Azumah Nelson and David Kotey, who were primarily based in the south.
However, according to Nii Lante, the emergence of boxers from the northern regions will boost the country’s chances of excelling at the highest levels in the future.
“We have the potential to become much more better sports nation through boxing than in football,” he said in an interview with JoySports.
“I was so much into the Boxing League and I saw most of the boxers who were got had all come from the North. Northerners are naturally strong but it is the knowledge, skill, technique that they need to adopt.
“When you have somebody who is so much passionate, interested and you transfer knowledge, technique to the person and he gets that to compliment his natural strength, he is super.”
Azumah Nelson is regarded as the greatest African boxer, having held the WBC Featherweight title and becoming a two-time Super-featherweight champion during his career.
David Kotey, affectionately known as “D.K. Poison,” and Joseph Agbeko are among other prominent Ghanaian boxers who put the country on the world map in the sport.
However, boxing in Ghana has experienced a downturn in recent years, with no world champion since Richard Commey’s defeat to Teofimo Lopez in 2019.
The nation had no representation at the 2024 Olympic Games for the first time since 2004.
The same can be said for football, as the men’s national team have not qualified for the Olympics since the 2004 Athens edition.
The senior national team, the Black Stars, who have not won a major trophy since their 1982 Africa Cup of Nations title, were eliminated in the group stages of the last two editions of the tournament.
