For immediate release: February 25, 2011
ABA Champion and European Union Gold Medalist, Lesley Sackey investigates the
landscape of female boxing in Ghana, West Africa in a new documentary.
In the London hosted 2012 Olympics next year, female boxing is appearing for the
first time in over 100 years. To commemorate the historic event and to bring further
analysis to the dynamic and newly explored world of female boxing, Lesley Sackey
will visit Ghana in a quest to find the parallels and differences between England and
Ghana’s respective female boxing cultures, and to seek further insight about her
own personal journey into boxing.
“My father is from Ghana, my boxing trainer MR. Akay (MBE) is also from Ghana. I
always thought I just fell into boxing by accident, but I now wonder where my
fighting spirit really came from.” Lesley explains, “Ghana has a strong heritage in
boxing and I wondered whether my path into boxing wasn’t as random as I once
thought.”
While exploring how her Ghanaian heritage has added impetus to her fighting spirit,
Lesley will also learn the realities of females’ roles in Ghana’s boxing culture.
The documentary aims to find out how popular female boxing is as a sport in Ghana,
what challenges female boxers face and how they compare to the challenges of their
British female contemporaries, and their response to the sport being included in the
2012 Olympics.
The project will also explore the cultural impact of boxing on the West African
country.
Shot and edited by BBC Sports producer and journalist Rasheed Speede, the
documentary will be filmed March 4th?15th 2011 in Accra and the fighting town of
Bukom.
Notes for editors
Lesley Sackey’s boxing accomplishments include:
ABA champion
European Union Gold Medalist
Current England Boxer
BBC3 Last Woman standing finalist
The documentary will be filmed for 10 days in Ghana – March 4 – 15th
For those who require more…
www.theboxingboutique.com
