Former boxing heavy weight champion, Anthony Joshua, has paid a courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama at the Presidency in Accra.
The British boxer was in Ghana over the weekend to participate in a boxing event dubbed ‘Battle of the Beasts’ organised by Legacy Rise Sports.
Receiving the former champion yesterday, President Mahama extolled Joshua’s exploits and prayed he recaptured his belts again.
“We wish that Anthony will become great again because we’ve seen many greats fall and rise and so hopefully, you’ll come back stronger,” President Mahama said.
Ghana, President Mahama stated has been a powerhouse in boxing since the First Republic, but unfortunately the sport declined over time.
Efforts to revive the interest in the sport have been put in place including building a state of the art boxing facility, the Bukom Arena, the President said.
“The dream was built on hope that scouts will find new talents. One of my regrets is that we didn’t build the Bukom Boxing Arena bigger. We need a much bigger space for the growing interest,” the President observed.
Mr Mahama commended his son, Sharaf, the brain behind the ‘Battle of the Beasts boxing event for his sustained interest in boxing over the years.
“I allowed him to pursue his passion. He started with football, then moved into boxing.I truly believe we can raise future world champions,” a hopeful President Mahama said.
He conferred on Anthony Joshua the ‘Ambassador for boxing in Africa’ and added that “Ghana is your home. If you want a passport, we’ll gladly give you one”.
On his part, Anthony Joshua said coming to Ghana to witness the boxing night was not an agenda on his calendar but could not turn it down because of Ghana’s rich history in boxing.
“I’m amazed by the culture and reception I’ve received since coming to Ghana.”
He commended President Mahama for his policies to revive Ghana sports and expressed his support for them.
Anthony Joshua disclosed that he was venturing into a sector where we can connect Africa to the world.
Giving an account of developments in the sports sector thus far, Sports and Recreation Minister, Kofi Adams, reported that the sector was responding well to the policies of government.
“Football is performing well and athletics is gaining international recognition again,” he said noted.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
