Ghana coach Ofori Asare says the country’s boxing team needs sustained investment, better athlete development and stronger technical preparation after 21-year-old Amadu Mohammed won its only medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Mohammed claimed bronze in the men’s 55kg bantamweight division, but Ghana’s overall return was well below its performance at the previous Games in Birmingham. The country won two silver medals and one bronze there from nine representatives, compared with one bronze from a ten-strong boxing team in Glasgow.
The disappointing outcome has led to scrutiny of the Black Bombers and Hitters’ campaign, although members of Ghana’s boxing community have rallied around the view that the result should prompt a long-term rebuilding effort rather than a focus on blame.
Asare defended the work of his technical team and said coaches could not be expected to create immediate success without the necessary experience, preparation and institutional support.
“It’s easy to blame the technical side because you see them very close to the athletes, but there are so many things that the technical team has to work on and, being a technical person, you are not a magician,” Asare said.
The veteran coach said most of Ghana’s squad had never competed at the Commonwealth Games before, while some were appearing at their first major international tournament.
“Only one person in this team had been to the Commonwealth Games before. For all the others, this was their first time, and for some it was even their first international competition,” he said.
Asare argued that the lack of experience had contributed to a number of the team’s defeats and made direct comparisons with more established opponents unfair.
“You cannot expect them to perform at the level of opponents who have competed at two or three Commonwealth or Olympic Games,” he explained.
His comments reflected the position expressed at a post-Games engagement involving National Sports Authority Director General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, Ghana Boxing Federation President Dauda Fuseini and Ghana Sports Fund Administrator Dr David Kofi Wuaku. All three were at ringside in Glasgow to support Ghana’s boxers.
The officials acknowledged that the medal return was disappointing, but stressed the need for continued backing, improved technical preparation and greater investment in youth development.
The discussion presented Glasgow 2026 as the start of a rebuilding process for Ghanaian boxing rather than a final judgement on its prospects. Stakeholders believe that better technical capacity, clearer athlete pathways and stronger institutional support can help the Black Bombers prepare more effectively for future major competitions, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
For Amadu, the bronze medal represented an achievement but fell short of his personal ambition. The 21-year-old said after collecting his medal last Saturday that he had been targeting the top prize.
“First of all, I give glory to God; he knows best, even though this was not what I expected. My target was gold,” Amadu reflected after receiving the bronze medal last Saturday.
He also thanked those who had supported him throughout the tournament and promised to continue working towards a greater accomplishment.
“But this is not the end; I thank everyone who kept praying for me. They should keep supporting me, and one day I will surely bring what they want,” he said.
