Ghana’s National Amateur Men’s Boxing Team (Black Bombers) head coach Ofori Asare says the team’s capitulation at the 2024 Olympic qualifiers in Dakar Senegal will shape the boxers for the future despite 12 boxers all failing to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Team Ghana had six boxers from the Black Bombers and six from the Black Hitters (Ghana’s National Amateur Women’s Boxing Team) with Seth “Freezy MacBones” Gyimah and Ornella Sathoud being the only two foreign-based fighters.
Despite Ghana’s poor showing in Senegal, Ofori Asare believes there are several positives to take from the qualifying series while stating the difficulty that comes with partaking in the African qualifiers, compared to the Commonwealth Games and other tournaments.
Our ladies, we know that we are now building the ladies for the competitions ahead, such as the African Games.
We are trying to prepare them for those games.
All of them are new, except Ornella Sathoud. Sathoud, however got sick here and affected her performance.
For now, we know that, we have created a good base and our next qualification, it shall be well for us.
At least, both Boxers who came here are new [Freezy MacBones & Ornella Sathoud], some of them have never been to the African competitions before.
Joseph Commey has also never seen the African Championship, he realised that it is different from the Commonwealth games and others.
New things are here, the Africans are more rough, everything here in Senegal is never like the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games.
I believe this qualification event in Dakar will serve the Boxers really well in the next qualification series.
The Black Bombers contingent has the following members:
Theophilus Kpakpo Allotey [Flyweight division – 51kg] – The latest to join the list of boxers who failed to qualify after losing his bout against Tunisia’s Ala Zidi Eddine in the semi-finals
Abdul Wahib Omar in the featherweight division [57kg]
Joseph Commey in the Light Welterweight division [63.5kg]
Alfred Kotey – Lightweight Middleweight division [71kg]
Seth Gyimah – Light Heavyweight [81kg]
Jonathan Tetteh – Heavyweight division [92kg]
David Bawah Akankolin – Super Heavyweight [92 +kg]
Notable boxers such as Joseph Commey and Abraham Mensah, who won silver medals at the last Commonwealth Games, and Abdul Wahid Omar, a two-time Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, all qualified for the National Individual Championship held from July 12 to 14 at the Accra Stadium.
The Black Hitters contingent has the following members:
Janet Acquah – Flyweight division [50kg]
Ramatu Quaye – Bantamweight [54kg]
Anatu Mohammed – Featherweight [57kg]
Sarah Apew – Lightweight [60kg]
Ornella Sathoud – Middleweight [75kg]
Ghana’s Boxing team do have another opportunity later in November to participate in a new set of qualification bouts.