Vice President pledges to support boxing to reclaim past glories

Vice President pledges to support boxing to reclaim past glories

Vice President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday promised that government would offer all the necessary support to boxing in order to win more international laurels in the sport.


He said Ghana had a comparative advantage in boxing in the past, recalling the exploits of D. K. Poison, Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey, which brought a lot recognition and respect to Ghana.


"Boxing is an area we can invest in to switch the fans from the over concentration on football in the country."


Vice President Mahama announced this when Braimah Kamoko popularly known as ‘Bukom Banku' presented the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Africa Light Heavyweight title he recently won to him at the Castle, Osu.

Kamoko won the title at the expense of Uruguayan Jorge Rodriguez Olivera at the Accra International Conference Centre on January 31, 2011 on the 45th minute of the fourth round to annex the WBO Africa belt.


"That was my first live boxing match I have ever watched and from the beginning to the end I realized Bukom Banku was in control of the game and I know there are a lot more of such good boxers in the country, whom we need to develop and encourage."


He said Government would support the boxing authority to develop the numerous talents abound in the country to recapture world boxing titles. Kamoko who laced his speech with his own brand of the English language, said he would not disappoint Ghanaians in his subsequent bouts. He, however, called for logistical and spiritual support to enable him to win more laurels in future.


"When you see a snake in the bush, you cannot turn into a python to swallow it." He concluded.**