The Independence Day fight night has been a significant day for the sport in recent times and experienced Ashie slugging it out with Quaye must be commended.

It is good thing for the sport to see two good fighters coming together to give the nation one of the best local bouts to think of now.

I am happy with the pairing but I hope my expectations are met on the night without any disappointments.

Before any expectation, however, we have to look at the two fighters and what they are bringing into the ring on March 6.

That, I believe, will inform us of what to expect going into the much anticipated bout at the Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra.

Tale of the tape

Both fighters are coming into the fight with a lot of support base, considering their worth and experience in the sport over the years.

However, Ashie stands tall in experience, having fought tougher opponents in a career which spans over 19 years.

The 37-year-old comes into the ring with the experience of fighting the likes of Emmanuel ‘Gameboy’ Tagoe, Michael ‘One Bullet’ Ansah, Allan Kamote and Michael Mokoena.

He has been at this stage for a very long time and will be challenging for a WBO Africa belt for the third time in his career.

Ashie certainly comes into this one with a lot of courage, having won on his previous two attempts against Kamote and Mokoena.

On the other hand, Quaye is undefeated in 20 bouts with 17 knockouts, a feat which acts as a confidence booster ahead of the crunch fight.

At 29 years, he has a seven-year age advantage over Ashie in his second WBO Africa title fight, an advantage he can exploit during the bout.

The various statistics ahead of the fight makes it an expected mouthwatering test for the two boxers who are ready to do their best to gain the bragging rights.

What next?

A win for any of the fighters enhances their credentials and gets them rated within the top 15 of WBO’s monthly rankings.

It also offers the winner the bragging rights but most importantly what the future holds after this epic bout.

Between the two boxers, Ashie has the slimmest chance of becoming a world champion, having passed his prime. At 37 years, he could be closing in on his retirement.

Quaye, however, has a long way to go to achieve a world title dream despite being 29 years and must work tirelessly towards that if he is able to go past the Ashie hurdle.

Ghana boxing has suffered without credible bouts and starting the year with such a competitive pairing could only revive the interest in the sport.

Good luck to both fighters and may the better boxer win.