Former IBF welterweight champion Joshua Clottey has urged Ghanaian authorities to prioritise the revival of regular individual national championships for amateur fighters.
This he believes if intensified will be critical for the sport’s success as well as discovering and nurturing talented boxers.
Ghana have struggled to win world titles in recent years, with the most recent being in 2019 when Richard Commey knocked out Russian Isa Chianev in round two to become the IBF Lightweight champion, a title he lost months later.
Clottey believes it will only be possible for Ghana to bounce back and impress at the world stage if there is an intentional plan for rookie boxers.
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He added that it was also necessary to provide platforms and opportunities for these talents to showcase their skills and improve through regular competition.
“We have a very big problem with our sport in the country and if we don’t fight to bring back consistent national championships, we will fail to unearth talented boxers,” he told Graphic Sports.
“My problem even has to do with how we prepare our young boxers when we discover them because we don’t get them regular fights to build their capacities,” he added.
Clottey further pleaded that the Ghana Boxing Authority be supported by the state by revisiting the old way of providing assistance.
Ghana, he believes, may boost its prospects of producing future boxing champions by offering frequent opportunities for competition and investing in training programs.
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“In our days, we had the chance to go on training tours throughout the country and abroad and it really helped us a lot.
“I believe the state must go back to those days if we really want to produce more future champions,” Clottey added.”