Sarah Lotus Asare: Pioneering change as Ghana's first female boxing match-maker

In a sport traditionally dominated by men, both in playing, coaching, and administration, Sarah Lotus Asare has etched her name in history as Ghana's first female matchmaker.

Sarah, the daughter of Dr. Ofori Asare, a prominent figure in Ghana's boxing community, broke barriers by becoming a licensed matchmaker under the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA).

Sarah's role as a matchmaker revolves around the art of making boxing bouts come to life. She negotiates with the respective camps of each boxer, facilitating agreements on income and terms for the fights.

Her debut as a matchmaker took place on August 26, 2023, at the Accra Sports Stadium when Wisdom Boxing Promotions organized the 'Boxing Fundraiser For Education.'

Reflecting on her achievement, Sarah shared, “I'm very proud of myself to have achieved this feat, it's not every day that you see a female matchmaker in Ghana. So it's something I'm proud of. I would also want to see more females get involved in their sports and think the forefront so that together we can help their sports rise,” she told AsaaseSports.

Nurturing an Interest in Boxing

Surprisingly, despite growing up in a boxing-centric environment, Sarah wasn't initially drawn to the sport. Her passion for boxing was ignited when she embarked on a journey to understand the motivation behind people choosing boxing as their pursuit.

"During my time at the University of Ghana, while studying Archaeology and Heritage Studies, I was tasked with a community-focused term paper. I was always curious about why individuals would step into the boxing ring, not only to settle personal disputes but for more complex reasons. To quench this curiosity, I revisited Bukom, engaging boxers, coaches, matchmakers, and promoters in conversations. It was then that I truly fell in love with the sport."

This newfound passion kick-started a career that led to her role as the administrator of Wisdom Boxing Gym and the Greater Accra Boxing Association (GABA). She also assumed the role of the African Representative of the World Boxing Council (WBC) Cares.

Father's Influential Role

Sarah credits her father, Dr. Asare, who is the coach of the national amateur boxing team (Black Bombers) for providing her with the initial platform to explore her love for boxing. "The first opportunity I received came through the Wisdom Boxing team, which is owned by Coach Asare. This gym allowed me to contribute to the sport by working with the younger boxers, teaching them the importance of public speaking and how they could use their platform to drive positive change in their communities.

“We emphasized that sports could be a catalyst for change and community development." Additionally, we worked on creating an online presence for the gym, garnering increased attention and recognition on the internet.

Dr. Asare has been instrumental in boxing in the country for many years, leading the Black Bombers to Ghana’s first Olympic medal in 26 years at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Despite her father's accomplishments, Sarah is quick to dismiss the notion that his success catapulted her career.

She stated, “My Dad's involvement in the sport is a disincentive or a negative for me. He's achieved so much and, as much as there are so many people that admire you, there are also those that wish they were like you and they know it will not happen. So they would rather choose to dislike you. I work very hard for everything that I want to achieve. And I make sure that when I'm given the opportunity, I impress you.”

Challenges and Aspirations

Just two months after her debut as a matchmaker, Sarah faces the challenges associated with stereotypes in a predominantly male-dominated field. She remains undeterred, saying, “There's also the challenge of people looking at you and saying, Oh, she's a female, can she do it? But I'm someone that's when I set my mind to do something. I'm able to do it.”

Blending Tourism and Boxing

Sarah Lotus Asare is not limited to just one field; she is also a trained Tourism Consultant. Despite the apparent differences between tourism and boxing, she sees the common ground, stating, “Tourism and sports, tend to go together, there's the travel components, there's the human components that have entertainment components, so it's not so far from each other. “It's not like maybe combining two extremes, this is something that you can easily match.”

Sarah's goal is to pave the way for Ghanaian women in boxing, demonstrating that they can excel in the sport, driven by their passion rather than a need to combat adversity. She is the mastermind behind the annual Girls Box Tournament, a program exclusively for female boxers aiming to feed talent into the national team, the Black Hitters.

“I want to see female boxing in Ghana grow to a point that we'll even be able to get our national champion. There are women in the sports and all these women have to be allowed to shine.”

Additionally, Sarah's efforts bore fruit as two of the boxers she worked with in the Girls Box Tournament competed in the African Olympic qualification in Senegal last month. While she acknowledges there's more work to be done, she takes pride in the progress made in empowering women in boxing.

“So even if I don't feel fulfilled, in what I've done for female boxing this is something I'm really proud of, I wouldn't say it's a holistic change. But there are just our shoots of single stories.”