GBA President Reaffirms Commitment to Boxers’ Safety Amid Speculation of Activity Suspension

Accra: Mr Roger Banor, Acting President of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA), has expressed his outfit's commitment to ensuring the safety of its boxers before and after bouts. The untimely death of boxing sensation Ernest Akushey, often known as 'Bahubali,' has sparked conversations regarding safety standards in Ghanaian boxing, with speculations circulating that boxing activities had been suspended.According to Ghana News Agency, the GBA's Acting President has stated that there has been no formal communication indicating that boxing activities have been suspended by the National Sports Authority (NSA). In an interview with GNA Sports, Mr Banor explained that they were in a meeting with the NSA yesterday and that issues about suspending boxing activities did not come up.'There has not been any official communication to that effect, and I will implore the general public to disregard any such information. We were in a meeting with the NSA yesterday, and nothing of such sort came up for discussion. We shall continue to observe all necessary protocols to ensure the safety of all boxers,' he said.When asked about the measures taken to ensure the safety of boxers, Mr Banor explained that health protocols have always been followed to ensure that boxers are fit before any bout. 'There are medical protocols for before and after each bout, and we shall continue to ensure that all boxers are fit to fight, as has been the practice.''All boxers shall continue to undergo medical examination before their bouts, and where anyone is declared medically unfit, he or she shall be disqualified from the bout. Further, we ensure such unqualified boxers undertake the necessary medical protocols to ensure they are fit to box going forward,' he said.Mr Banor also stated that they were still preparing the roadmap to the GBA Congress in consultation with the NSA, which was part of the reset process of the local boxing authority.