Three Commonwealth Games medalists are expected to compete for Olympic Games slots at the National Individual Boxing Championship slated for July 12 to 14 at the Sports Hall of the Accra Stadium.
The trio – Abraham Mensah, Joseph Commey and Wahid Omar – will need to justify their inclusion in the Black Bombers squad at the national qualifiers.
Commey and Mensah, who won silver medals at the last Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, are considered favourites to make the Bombers team for an Olympic qualifier in Senegal later this year.
Similary, Omar, a two-time Commonwealth Games medalist, is also on track to secure a place in the team at the upcoming championship.
In an interview with the Graphic Sports, Kwasi Ofori Asare, trainer of the Black Bombers, anticipated a competitive championship, with the male boxers competing in 13 weight classes, with 12 weight classes for the females.
However, Coach Asare acknowledged that the turnout for the competition might be low due to many amateur boxers transitioning to the professional ranks due to the ongoing Professional Boxing League.
“We expect about 100 boxers, and I am very sure there will be surprises and upsets,” Coach Asare said.
“There will be fights in all weight classes for male and female boxers and I expect the best from all boxers who will partake in this exercise.”
Approximately, 100 boxers are expected to participate in the championship.
He emphasised that fighters in all weight classes should strive to do their best during the event.
As part of preparations for the championship, the Ghana Boxing Federation (GBF) has invited all amateur fighters to participate in the three-day event.
The championship serves as a platform to select boxers who are ready to represent Ghana in the Olympic qualifiers in Senegal and the subsequent African Games scheduled to take place in Accra in March, 2024.
The previous National Individual Championship took place two years ago to select representatives for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
SOURCE: GraphicOnline
