Ghana’s Former IBF Welterweight world champion has lamented the state of boxing in the country describing it as bleak.
The future of Ghana boxing, he said, does not look great following the recent development in the fraternity.
The renowned boxer, Joshua Clottey, highlighted the dire situation faced by amateur fighters in relation to their development and preparation for major championships.
Speaking on Adom FM, he emphasized that despite the potential they possess, these fighters have been neglected, resulting in their inability to secure victories in subsequent competitions.
Ghana has failed to record a world title in recent years with the last one coming in 2019 when Richard Commey knocked out Russian Isa Chianev in round two to become the IBF Lightweight champion, a belt he lost months later.
The Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) is hoping to either produce a new champion or see a former champion win another title for the nation but Joshua Clottey believes that vision is far from feasible given the treatment of promising amateur boxers.
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“For now, to tell you the truth No. That’s the truth. Because amateur fighters are the future but when they go for the Commonwealth Games and even win medals no development plan and attention is given to them so they lose in the subsequent championships,” he told Adom TV.
“For instance, there is just a single coach managing them and they don’t even arrive on time because of poor preparations. They sometimes arrive for competitions two days away and go for weighing the next day. Such preparations will result in winning nothing.”
“Because you need to arrive at least ten days before the competitions to be acclimatized to the system but it is not done.
“Meanwhile, if it was the Black Stars things would have been put in place for proper preparations through better sponsorships.”