Ghana’s youngest World boxing champion, Isaac Dogboe, has made a passionate appeal to the government and corporate institutions to support the funding of boxing to enable the country win more laurels at the international level.
According to the new WBO Bantamweight Champion, Ghanaian boxers are moving overseas to train and prepare for mega fights because they believe there are opportunities out there than in Ghana.
Although government has promised to renovate the Azuamah Nelson Sports Complex and build ten new Sports Centers in Ghana, the boxer insists more can be done to enable the country win more World titles in the future.
Speaking in an interview with Ghanaweb TV after winning the Sports Personality and Professional boxer of the Year at the 43rd SWAG Awards in Accra on Saturday, the new WBO champion, joined the campaign to get the government to fulfill its promise to support Ghana boxing.
“There are many issues going on in Ghana in terms of money being put into boxing but I hope that right now corporate Ghana would see the hard work that Rising Stars Promotions Africa has put in, would see the hard work that I have put in and also recognize that this is the time to invest in boxing. It’s a wakeup call for us to support our own.”
Isaac Dogboe who began his boxing his boxing career abroad before relocating to Ghana to commence the journey to greatness is also confident that with more investment and focus on boxing, Ghana would become a powerhouse in the sport that won the nation’s first Olympic medal.
“If we do not support our own then we would not get to where we want to get to. When you are in Europe you see all the glory and glamour, it didn’t happen overnight, it was by investment that people put into it, that is the reason why everybody wants to go to abroad because they think that’s where the green grass is but we have to be able to do it on our own soil; in our own homes so that people would have that confidence in the nation and the government, so that we can all look towards the future.”
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President Akufo-Addo’s promise to boxing
Last year President Akufo-Addo pledged his personal and the support of government for Ghanaian boxers after Isaac Dogboe paid a courtesy call on him at his office after winning the WBO Junior Featherweight champion, Isaac Dogboe.
The President Akufo-Addo reiterated to Isaac Dogboe that “I have had a lot of discussions with my Sports Minister on what can be done to assist boxing and other important sports, which are often referred to as ‘lesser sports’, and, very soon, you will see the results of those discussions.”
Call by GBA President for support
The Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) President Peter Zwennes advised the head of the Sports Ministry to truly operationalize his policy of supporting boxing before taking any credit for Isaac Dogboe's title win.
Zwennes, who was with Dogboe in the US during the fight with Magdaleno revealed that Team Dogboe had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in the quest to make the 23-year old a world champion.
“It is time the ministry stopped paying lip service to helping the other sports. It is time the ministry translated its help in practical terms. If the ministry, as usual, will want to come and take credit for the success of other individuals for which we haven’t seen any contribution, then they must sit up.”
