Sensational Samuel Plange of Jamestown Boxing Club, who is destined for greatness, lived up to expectations when he performed to the admiration of boxing fans at the Ga Mashie Hall of the Trust Sports Emporium on Friday, January 30.
The pupil of Prince De Henry Educational Complex was just a delight and marvelous to watch as he outpunched and outpaced his bigger opponents.
He kept the fans chanting and singing to make the charged atmosphere at the Ga Mashie Hall even more entertaining, and fans did not want to go home.
Other winners on day one were Black Panthers Mathias Ashitey, 2016 Olympian Wahid Omar of Wisdom, George Dowuona of Will Power, Desmond Pappoe of Jamestown Pappo,e and Ebenezer Ankrah of Black Panthers. Sea View Gym also had some splendid performers.
It was a different story for some of the novices and boxers from outside Accra as they were paired against experienced boxers and had no answers to their skill, stamina, and power.
Present were former world champion Professor Azumah Nelson, former acting president of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA), Roger Barn, and executives of the Ghana Boxing Federation.
The bouts held on the first day of the 2026 Individual Championships were very exciting, and the Ghana Boxing Federation has been commended for the great organisation.
According to the President of the Ghana Boxing Federation (GBF) Dauda Fuseni, the prelims and other rounds are taking place now, (Friday and Saturday) however the semi finals and finals would be held by the end of February to pick the best boxers to represent Ghana at the qualifiers for the 2026 Youth Olympics and Commonwealth Games as well as 2028 Olympic Games scheduled for Los Angeles.
Nii Gonti Adjor I, aka Nii Adama Ad,dy who is the Vice President of the GBF, was also impressed with the performances and congratulated the participants.
“We promised to take Amateur Boxing to a different level, and this is the beginning. We are going to do this twice a year to keep the boxers in condition and hope to attract sponsors, because boxing is our number one sport and we need to do it well,” he expressed.
It was a great boxing experience on day one as many talents were hatched; however, today, Saturday, January 31, is when the men would be separated from the boys. All roads lead to the Ga Mashie Hall.
By Sammy Heywood Okine
