If you are looking to identify what ails Ghana boxing today, look no further than the leaders governing it.

On July 22, the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) will hold its third elective congress to decide the new leadership of the association for the next four years.

The new president will take over from incumbent Peter Zwennes who will bow out following an eight-year tenure.

That period produced two world champions for Ghana; Isaac Dogboe in 2018 and Richard Commey in 2019.

The lack of depth—and progress—beyond these two is worrisome, leading me to wonder if perhaps a new regime will fare better. With this in mind, and with the elections fast approaching, I inquired about the statutes of the GBA to help me in asking aspirants well-informed questions.

New statutes

To my surprise, the Secretary General of the GBA, Patrick Johnson, said he could not furnish me with one because his outfit was working on a new statute ahead of congress.

“It will be difficult to get it for you because we are now putting one together before congress,” said Johnson to Graphic Sports. “I can assure you that it will be ready by the time we go for congress.”

What Johnson said shocked me to the marrow. After all, even if an association decides to amend its rules and regulations, there should already be a substantive statute for stakeholders.

My inquiries did not stop there. I spoke extensively to many past and present officials of the GBA who said there was indeed a written statute of the GBA.

So, I decided to ask for the yet-to-be-reviewed statute to at least guide me in my research into the definitions of the various positions.
This too proved futile.

“I did not come to meet one as the Secretary General of the GBA so you will have to wait for the one we are coming out with,” Johnson said.

The turn of events made me suspicious of what the GBA was trying to hide. A statute of an association is supposed to be a public document that could be assessed by anyone who wants to.

Instead, Johnson’s comments meant that the GBA could be running boxing without set out laws. If that is the case, then the association could be described as a lawless national body.

How then did the GBA govern over the past eight years? By making their will and their desires to be the law, whether right or wrong. Perhaps that could explain some of their decisions over the past few months, which included punishments to boxers, that were so heavy-handed, one must wonder if they were influenced by personal vendettas rather than by written laws and statutes.

Perhaps that is also why they don’t want to release the current statutes. I doubt they will—not without releasing a new one that makes their past decisions acceptable by law.

No government support

It is a stark reality that boxing survives on its own in Ghana with little help from the government, a canker that must be fixed by a visionary leader.

However, this does not absolve the GBA of what they are doing. A regime that refuses to disclose their laws to those who must abide by their decisions could pass as an anarchical body.

‘Charity begins at home’ is a wise saying which means the first responsibility of anyone should be the needs of their family and friends.

Who makes up the family and friends of the GBA in this case? Boxers, trainers, referees, managers, promoters, and other ring officials; men and women who remain the core of the sport. It is the duty of the association to ensure their roles are well defined.

As it stands, it appears these stakeholders are preparing for an elective congress without a statute.

If that is the case, how do they make meaningful contributions to the growth of boxing without a set of rules and regulations to guide them?

Until the GBA takes its own business seriously, it will be difficult for any investor to see the sport as worth investing in. And that goes a long way in affecting the lives of boxers—and of the sport itself.

So what is the GBA hiding? They may not want to reveal it but given the sad state of Ghana boxing today, the diagnosis isn’t good and they are directly responsible for it.