FLASHBACK: Ambassador Quarcoo (In flying Tie) with some of the amateurs and officials in 1988.
Goodwill Sports ambassador Ray Quarcoo has promised to support boxing in the country.
Interacting with the press on the evening of the “Freedom Fight Night” at the newly opened Bukom Boxing Arena last Saturday, Ambassador Quarcoo pledged to lend a helping hand to restore Ghana boxing’s dwindling fortunes.
He attributed the success stories of boxing greats like Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey, Alfred Kotey and Joshua Clottey among others to their impressive amateur records.
He intimated that “throughout my association with boxing, I have always been convinced that to be a good boxer, one must go through the mill of amateur boxing to be able to learn well the tricks of the game.”
He also recounted that in 1988, to regenerate interest in the sport and unearth new talents, he donated trophies and cash prizes for tournaments in the amateur division, which result helped to produce young talents like Ebo Danquah, Ashia Laryea, Amarkai Amarteifio etc.
Earlier in 1984, he had helped assembled and prepared the national boxing team, Black Bombers, through training tour programmes to Denmark, Norway and United Kingdom at his own expense before the team finally arrived at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games
He said “By the introduction of the Bukom Boxing Arena, I intend to re-introduce my 1988 initiative, by donating two trophies in the names of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, for the professional ranks; and the other for the amateur ranks in the name of President J.J.Rawlings.”
The former Ghana Amateur Boxing Federation’s president pledge “using my office as Goodwill Sports Ambassador, with support from the Ministry of Sports and the National Sports Authority; and in collaboration with corporate Ghana, I will arrange for cash and other prizes for the boxers and clubs after each tournament”.
He expressed that one other issue of interest to him is the upgrading of boxing coaches and trainers. He added that coordinating with some of his old associates within the international boxing fraternity; he will take steps to arrange for sponsorship for training courses for our coaches and trainers; as well as working out for exchange programmes between the national boxing team and its counterparts from other friendly countries.
He further added that to this end, he is in discussions with his old associate, David Dein, former Chairman of the Arsenal Football Club, UK to set up a Ghana Sports Development Foundation to help raise funds for sports development programmes and activities in Ghana.
From The Sports Desk