Ministry of Sports and Recreation will inaugurate a Boxing Interim Management Committee (IMC) on Monday, September 29, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. in the Ministry’s conference room, following the dissolution of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) board.
The move comes in response to the tragic death of Nigerian boxer Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju, who collapsed during a bout at Bukom Boxing Arena on March 29, 2025, and the subsequent death of Ghanaian boxer Ernest “Bahubali” Akushey on September 23, 2025, after a knockout loss.
Sports Minister Kofi Adams, alongside National Sports Authority (NSA) Director General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, met with IMC members, including boxing icon Azumah Nelson, to outline their mandate. The IMC is tasked with implementing a 100-page report from an independent inquiry led by Rtd. Amarkai Amarteifio, which investigated Olanrewaju’s death and broader issues in Ghanaian boxing. The report recommends enhanced safety protocols, a Medical Commission, improved health records, stricter medical and doping controls in collaboration with the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), and restoring professionalism and integrity to the sport.
Adams emphasized urgency, stating, “This normalisation process is not about personalities; it is about the future of our sport. We are determined to restore boxing to a state of professionalism, safety, and international respect.” The Ministry has issued a white paper mandating the IMC to act swiftly under supervision to resume organized boxing by year-end.
The initiative follows heightened scrutiny of boxing safety, with calls for better medical oversight after Akushey’s death, suspected to be linked to fight-related injuries, and Olanrewaju’s collapse, which prompted a Sports Ministry inquiry into GBA lapses.
