How a 10-minute prayer healed me of stomach ache before Gabriel Ruelas fight - Azumah Nelson

Legendary Ghanaian boxer Azumah Nelson is a firm believer in the notion that spiritualism exists in sports, particularly boxing.

Azumah Nelson told Dan Kwaku Yeboah in an interview that spiritualism has always been part of the sport and that while others resort to other sources for spiritual fortification ahead of bouts, he relied solely on God.

To corroborate his stance, Azumah Nelson recounted an interesting incident that happened ahead of one of his bouts.

Azumah detailed that ahead of his first bout against Mexican boxer, Gabriel Ruelas in 1993, he suffered major setbacks that made him contemplate giving up but a ten-minute prayer which was inspired by a voice he heard, saved him from what could have been a walkover victory for his opponent.

“I used to pray before my fights, and I received revelations from God. Ahead of my first fight with Gabriel Ruelas in Mexico, I suffered a lot of pain in my dressing room. Thirty minutes ahead of the bout, I started experiencing a severe stomach ache. I couldn’t stand up and I was in deep pain. I kept on weeping and the people around me did not understand.

“A voice directed me to pray and seek God’s intervention, so I ordered my coach and everyone around to leave the room. I prayed for about ten minutes and suddenly the severity of the pain went down. I went into the bout concerned with the situation, but one round into it, I forgot about the pain because I wasn’t experiencing it anymore.

“However in the 6th round of that bout, I suffered some cut at the back of my head with blood oozing out. The referee came around to check if I was ok but I managed to keep it away from him and forged on with the fight. I won that bout on points and I believe strongly that it was God who helped me win.

“Every sporting figure will tell you that there is spiritualism in the profession. If you want to do regular things without spiritual backing, the profession will kill you. If you rely solely on your strength, you’d be killed. That is why I always tell people to seek God and rely on Him. There is nothing too hard for the Lord so if you rely on Him, He will surely answer your prayers and lift you to where you want to be”, he said.

At the peak of his prowess, Azumah Nelson, who is widely regarded as Africa’s greatest boxer, dominated the featherweight and super-featherweight divisions and held the title of world champion on three different occasions.

He is an inductee of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

EE/EK