Azumah Nelson: The Afro-Brazilian descendant who is Ghana's greatest boxer ever

GhanaWeb Feature

Azumah Nelson is known to be the greatest Ghanaian boxer ever, but did you know that the Ghanaian boxing legend is a descendant of a tribe in Brazil?

Known as Ghana and Africa's greatest boxer ever, Azumah Nelson holds a lineage that intertwines with the rich history of the Tabom people, an Afro-Brazilian group that returned from Bahia to settle among the Ga community in the Greater Accra Region.

During the height of the slave trade, Bahia in Brazil served as one of the primary destinations for African slaves.

Among them were the Tabom people, who later sought to return to their ancestral roots in Africa after the end of the slave trade.

According to historian Marco Aurelio Schaumloeffel who traced the roots of the African slaves, there are two sides to how the slaves ended up in Africa.

One of the stories has it that, the group bought their freedom from Bahia and then decided to return to the home of their ancestors, while the other story is that the slaves caused a revolt and were sent back by the authorities because of the trouble they had caused.

Regardless, they embarked on a journey back to Africa, with some settling in Ghana, alongside other destinations like Nigeria, Benin, and Togo.

Among the early settlers in Ghana was Kangidi Asuman, who later adopted the name Nelson.

Arriving in the early 19th century, the Tabom people found acceptance and hospitality among the Ga community, led by the Ga Mantse Nii Ankrah of Otublohum.

They were granted land in areas like Adabraka and Asylum Down by Nii Tackie Tawiah I, where they established their livelihoods, notably excelling in tailoring and agriculture.

It is not surprising that some Brazilian elements such as Brazilian architecture in Jamestown are still located in the capital, Accra.

One of the reasons, the returnee slaves were able to cohabit with the Gas was because the Portuguese who were the early settlers in Accra during the slave trade had established their roots and their way of living and language was common to the Gas.

Interestingly, Nelson’s family was one of the families that settled among the Ga's in Jamestown. However, it was over a decade later that the Hall of Fame boxer, originally known as Samuel Azumah Nelson, was born on July 19, 1958, and became immersed in the Tabom culture and traditions.

Aurelio's research found out that the people of Tabom were seen as some of the best tailors in Accra and it’s not surprising that Emmanuel Teilo Nelson, the father of Azumah Nelson, was also a tailor.

As a young boy living in Accra, Azumah discovered his passion for boxing after his father took him to watch a fight between two juvenile boxers.

After challenging one of the boxers to a fight, Azumah recalled in his interview with GTV Sports Plus that he went to the gym with his friends to confront his opponent. However, young Azumah lost the fight, but the coach admired his passion and decided to recruit him into his gym.

That’s how Azumah Nelson went on to win gold for Ghana at the 1978 All-African Games and Commonwealth Games in the Featherweight class.

He went on to become a world champion in two weight categories, the WBC featherweight champion and the WBC super-featherweight champion.

Azumah Nelson who is regarded as the greatest African boxer of all time was later inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame joining the great class of 2004.

By Joseph Adamafio

JNA/BB