Former president Jerry John Rawlings has opened expressed concern over how the sport of boxing in Ghana has deteriorated, and wondered why the sport that Ghanaians took pride in has been allowed to fall.
Former president Rawlings, speaking after Ghanaian world title contender Isaac Dogboe's victory over Argentine boxer, Javier Chacon over the weekend, wondered how people wouldn't be interest in the sport.
According to the former head of state, it took a combination of skill, courage, speed, intuition, and a good sense of judgement for athletes to excel in the sport of boxing.
“I don’t understand why anyone shouldn’t be fond of boxing.” Said former president Rawlings, adding that, “Boxing is an interesting sport, it takes a lot of skill, courage, speed, intuitiveness, perception and a sense of judgment. We have to recover and restore the kind of possession we had many years ago."
Former president Rawlings particularly pointed out the featherweight division, that it has always been Ghana's most successful division, but that it's been been neglected over time.
All things considered, Ghana's former head of state finished on a more positive note by saying he believed Ghanaians still exhibited a lot of enthusiasm towards the sport. “Ghanaian’s show so much enthusiasm, it will recover and with good talents like these, there is no doubt in my mind, we will make it,” he said.