Minister Pledges Government's Support for Boxing Gym

Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Minister of Youth and Sports has promised the boxing fraternity of the government's support in building a boxing gym in Accra to serve both amateur and professional boxers.

The Minister said, for starters the ministry is prepared to put in about 100 million cedis for the project to take off but said it hinges on proposals from the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA).

He said this during a visit to the training camp of Joseph Agbeko who fights Mike "Bomber" Kizza of Uganda for the vacant World Boxing Federation (WBF) bantamweight title at the Kaneshie Sports Complex tomorrow.

The Life Time Promotion and Management Syndicate are the promoters of the fight, which include three other title bouts.

Papa Ankomah lamented over the deplorable state in which Agbeko is training for such an important fight adding that even though professional boxing is an individual sport, his ministry would do all it could to support him.

"If under this conditions we have been able to produce World Champions I believe that with a little push from government in the form of upgrading facilities, we can produce 10 World Champions in not a distant future.

"When you enter the ring you are not going in to fight for yourselves alone, but would be carrying the hopes and aspirations of over 20 millions Ghanaians," the minister said.

Papa Ankomah conveyed the best wishes of the government, saying that he has no doubt that the hard-work, perseverance and discipline that has taken him that far would ensure that the title does not elude him.

He thanked the promoters, Life Time Promotions, for bring honour to the country by bring such a high profile bout to the country and expressed the hope that the venture would be profitable so as to encourage others get on board.