Joel Kodua and Gideon Kodua
GhanaWeb Feature
Ghana now has new sporting siblings known as the Kodua brothers. The young brothers, Joel Kodua and Gideon Kodua are etching their names in history as brothers pursuing different sporting interests.
Joel Kodua who is the elder of the two is a boxer while his younger brother Gideon Kodua is a footballer.
Joel Kodua
Nicknamed JFK, Joel Kodua is a boxer who fights in the Super Welterweight division. He grew up in Dagenham, Essex, and used to work at the railways.
Joel's first professional fight was against Joe Hardy, whom he defeated on points in four rounds at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, in 2022.
Joel's second professional fight was against British journeyman Dale Arrowsmith, whom he defeated on points in four rounds at the Copper Box Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Joel Kodua fought on the same cards as Freezy MacBones who defeated British boxer, Darryl Sharp on April 15, 2023.
Gideon Kodua
Gideon Kodua, on the other hand, is a footballer who plays for West Ham United as a center-forward.
He signed a professional contract with the club in December 2022, three months after his elder brother Joel fought his second pro fight.
Gideon came through the ranks of West Ham as a juvenile and finally earned himself a professional contract after years with the club.
He made his debut for the West Ham U21s in October and has since featured four times for the development side in all competitions.
Gideon's most notable achievement so far came when he helped West Ham's under-18 side beat Southampton 6-1 in the FA Youth Cup.
Gideon scored a goal and provided two assists in the game, helping West Ham to reach the final of the FA Youth Cup.
Since the start of the 2022/23 season, Gideon has had an incredible record of 17 goal contributions in 26 appearances, with 11 goals and six assists so far in the ongoing English youth season.
Although the Kodua brothers are not the first siblings to pursue different sports, they are a rare sight in the sporting world.
The Tagoe brothers, Joseph Tagoe, popularly known as Baby Short, and Emmanuel 'The Gameboy' Tagoe have already taken a similar path as brothers in different sports.
Author: Joseph Adamafio
JNA/KPE
