Rising Ghanaian boxing sensation Theophilus Allotey has capped a remarkable year with a historic nomination for the prestigious EMY Africa Man of the Year Award in the Sports category, a fitting recognition of his blistering ascent through the professional ranks.

The 23-year-old, who has taken the African boxing scene by storm, now finds himself in elite company, vying for the continental honour against some of Africa’s biggest sports icons such as Nigeria and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman, Eritrean cycling sensation Biniam Girmay Hailu, Uganda’s world record-breaking distance runner Joshua Kiprui Cheptegei, and Botswana’s Paris 2024 Olympic sprint champion Leslie Tebogo.

Since its inception in 2016, the Exemplary Men of the Year (EMY) Africa Awards have celebrated the continent’s most outstanding men — individuals who have demonstrated leadership, impact and excellence across sports, business, culture, community service and public life.

Past honourees include former Ghanaian President John Agyekum Kufuor, Sir Sam Jonah, Professor Emeritus Joseph Hanson Kwabena Nketia, boxing legend Azumah Nelson, and Nigerian media mogul Adebola Williams, all distinguished figures whose achievements continue to inspire.

For Allotey, the nomination crowns a dazzling first year as a professional boxer. After closing his amateur career with a bronze medal for Ghana’s Black Bombers at the Accra 2023 African Games, he turned professional in July 2024 and has since captured three major titles in just 11 months — the Ghana National Super Flyweight, UBO Africa Super Flyweight, and WBO Africa Bantamweight belts.

His stunning rise was further validated last month when he broke into the WBO’s global rankings, while also earning top-10 spots in the IBF Intercontinental ratings at both super flyweight (No.9) and bantamweight (No.6).

Under the expert guidance of veteran trainer Coach Kwasi Ofori Asare, Allotey is currently ranked No.5 bantamweight on the continent by the African Boxing Union — a testament to his growing stature as one of Ghana’s most promising exports in the sport.

However, his manager, Sarah Lotus Asare, has expressed frustration over what she described as an oversight by Ghanaian sports journalists after boxers were excluded from the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) Golden Jubilee Awards shortlist.

“It shows that Theo is attracting eyes beyond the boxing world and beyond Ghana,” she told Graphic Sports yesterday. “It also shows that SWAG did not do their due diligence with their nominations,” she added.