Wisdom Boxing Club, founded by Coach Dr. Ofori Asare, registered a strong performance at the 2026 National Individual Amateur Boxing Championship held at Ga Mashie Hall over the weekend, entering 18 boxers and producing five finalists across multiple weight categories.
The championship, organized by the Ghana Boxing Federation (GBF) under President Dauda Fuseini, attracted 145 boxers from regions including Upper West, Volta, Central, Ashanti, and Northern. The competition serves as a selection platform for the Black Bombers, Ghana’s national amateur boxing team.
Wisdom Boxing Club secured 19 victories throughout the tournament and placed finalists in the light flyweight, bantamweight, lightweight, and light welterweight divisions. The club also produced both competitors in the 63.5 kilogram weight division final, guaranteeing a Wisdom winner in that category.
The club’s youngest competitor, Philemon Lomotey, competed at 14 years of age, while the most experienced Wisdom participant was Wahid Omar at 31 years. Omar previously won a bronze medal for Ghana at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Coach Dr. Asare stated that Wisdom Boxing has evolved to include both an academy structure and a promotions division. He emphasized that the club teaches both the technical and strategic aspects of the sport.
Asare acknowledged that several bouts were decided by narrow margins and identified areas for improvement, including conditioning, tactical fight management, and sustained training discipline. He expressed confidence that the national team selected from the championship would perform well at international competitions.
The championship also featured finalists from Black Panthers, Sea View, Jamestown, Fit Square, Seconds Out, Will Power, Charles Quartey Foundation, Sonia, and Akotoku Academy boxing clubs.
Wisdom Boxing Gym was established in 1993 in Jamestown, Accra, and has trained over 500 boxers who have represented Ghana at national and international tournaments. The club has had boxers qualify for four consecutive Olympic Games from 2008 through 2020.
Dr. Asare, who holds a three-star AIBA certification as a boxing instructor, coached Samuel Takyi to a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, ending Ghana’s 29-year Olympic medal drought in boxing.
The championship ran from January 29 to February 1, 2026, at the Bukom Boxing Arena before moving to Ga Mashie Hall. The Ghana Boxing Federation organized the event to identify talent for upcoming international competitions including the Commonwealth Games.
Greater Accra recorded the highest club participation, with 12 boxing clubs represented. Security services including the Army and Prisons Service also entered teams in the competition.
The featherweight division recorded the highest number of entries with 25 boxers, while the heavyweight division had the lowest with one competitor. Tournament officials conducted 14 bout redraws due to weight classification and technical issues.
