Welterweight champion Precious Akai Nettey of Attoh Quarshie Boxing Club says winning national gold on his birthday has sharpened his determination to represent Ghana at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, declaring boxing the one pursuit he intends to master completely.
Nettey clinched the 67 kilogram welterweight title at the 2026 Ghana Boxing Federation (GBF) National Individual Amateur Boxing Championship at the Bukom Boxing Arena, defeating Issah Okine of Wisdom Boxing Gym and celebrating the victory alongside his fans on his birthday.
Speaking exclusively to Yours Truly on The Big Fight Night on Omashi TV, Nettey said the emotional weight of the occasion deepened his resolve. “I realised boxing is what I can do better than anything,” he said, adding that his physical build had pushed him toward the sport and toward his ambitions within it.
He drew particular inspiration from Emmanuel Martey, known in boxing circles as Mayweather, a former World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Africa champion and one of the prominent names associated with Attoh Quarshie Boxing Gym. Nettey described Martey as his mentor and credited head trainer Vincent Akai Nettey, whom he called his spiritual guide, with providing the professional structure that transformed his attitude toward training. He acknowledged that laziness had held him back earlier in his career until his coach intervened and set him on a more disciplined path.
A product of Sacred Heart Senior High School where he studied accounting, Nettey said the discipline of the classroom and the structure of the gym reinforced each other. He said he actively seeks wisdom from experienced elders and treats every training session with care precisely because he views errors as weaknesses to be eliminated before they take root.
Nettey described Attoh Quarshie Boxing Club as a factory for champions. “We are the best boxing club in Ghana,” he said, acknowledging the debate while pointing to the gym’s record of producing accomplished fighters. He referenced former WBO Africa champions Sowah Thompson and Emmanuel Martey alongside George Ashie, also known as Red Tiger, as part of the club’s heritage.
His parents, Theophilus Nettey and Abigail Aryeetey, are boxing supporters who he said back his ambitions fully.
Also training at Attoh Quarshie is Wisdom Barnor, a Ghanaian-born boxer who competes for Sierra Leone. Barnor has represented Sierra Leone in continental competition, including a featherweight bout at an African championship where he faced Kenya’s Shaffi Bakari. Barnor also won the Greater Accra Championship and has participated at international level. He admires American professional Shakur Stevenson, whose image he said has been placed in the gym as motivation.
Barnor comes from a boxing lineage, with both his grandfather and his father having competed in the sport. He joined Nettey in praising their coaching staff while calling for improved and more modern equipment at the club.
Both boxers are now focused on the 2026 Commonwealth Games, scheduled from July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow, Scotland, which serve as the primary international target for Ghana’s Black Bombers national amateur boxing team following the national championships.
Nettey is also among the nominees for the upcoming Choice Ghana Boxing Awards by Bishop Boxing Promotions.
