The fourth edition of the Boxing Ghana Awards has secured corporate sponsorship from six organizations, with Cartel Foundation leading the effort to honor distinguished figures across Ghana’s boxing community when the ceremony takes place Saturday at Idrowhyt Events Centre in Dansoman.
Joining Cartel Foundation as sponsors are Idrowhyt Events Centre, Prince De Henry Educational Complex, PKO Foundation, Box Office Promotions, and BJ Wise Electronics and Electricals. The event, recognized by the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA), Ghana Boxing Federation (GBF), and National Sports Authority (NSA), will celebrate 30 personalities who have distinguished themselves in various aspects of the sport during 2025.
The awards ceremony features multiple categories including Best Professional Boxer, Best Fan, Best Dressed Boxer, Best Amateur Boxer, Best Referee or Judge, Best Ring Announcer, Best Boxing Media Personality, and Best Coach. The event also includes a special promoter category where both Legacy Rise Sports Promotions and Bishop Boxing Promotions have earned nominations for their outstanding work organizing boxing events throughout 2025.
Lifetime Achievement Awards will recognize several veterans whose contributions have shaped Ghana boxing over decades. The honorees include ring official Ataa Eddie Pappoe, coach Kwatelai Quartey, timekeeper Edward Addo, coach and referee Naa Amerley Turkson, and the late Freeman Kwame, known as Promoterhene.
Coach Kwatelai Quartey, affectionately called Wutor and recognized as The Father of Bukom Boxers, will receive special recognition for his pivotal role in Ghana boxing history. In 1976, Quartey helped reconstruct the Bukom Boxing Club with support from then Secretary for Youth and Sports Amarkai Amarteifio. The gym, dating back to the 1950s under management of Nii Nai Sackeyfio, has produced some of Ghana’s finest fighters including Olympic medalist Clement Ike Quartey Senior and celebrated fighter Floyd Quartey.
As elder brother of Ike Bazooka Quartey, Coach Kwatelai trained alongside the late Alfred Cobra Kotey from a young age. Throughout his career, he has nurtured accomplished fighters including Ike Quartey, Alfred Kotey, Joshua Clottey, Emmanuel Clottey, Steve Dotse, James Bukom Fire Armah, and Abraham Osei Bonsu, guiding them onto the international stage. In 1988, several of his protégés earned places in the Black Bombers squad for the Seoul Olympic Games before transitioning to professional ranks. Under his guidance, Alfred Kotey became World Boxing Organization (WBO) Bantamweight Champion in 1994.
Legacy Rise Sports Promotions earned its nomination after staging The Showdown at University of Ghana Sports Stadium in December 2025, an event that brought together President John Dramani Mahama, Sports Minister Kofi Adams, and business mogul Ibrahim Mahama among other dignitaries. The event featured standout Ghanaian fighters and marked a significant milestone for professional boxing promotion in Ghana.
Bishop Boxing Promotions, founded by American businessman Dave Bishop, has made substantial impact since launching Best of Bukom in August 2025 at Bukom Boxing Arena. The promotional outfit staged multiple successful events throughout the year featuring both rising stars and established fighters. Bishop, who holds Ghanaian citizenship and was enstooled as Nana Ekow Amu I, Development Chief of Nyanfeku Ekroful in the Central Region, requires all fighters on his cards to complete eight hours of community service and has announced plans to establish a full-scale boxing academy in Accra.
The third edition of Boxing Ghana Awards held in January 2025 saw Joseph Commey, known as Jaguar, dominate proceedings by winning Boxing Personality of the Year 2024, Elite Amateur Boxer of the Year, and Most Promising Boxer honors. Ghana Olympic Committee President Ben Nunoo Mensah praised the awards for their motivational impact on boxers and stakeholders, emphasizing that recognition drives athletes to perform at their best.
Cartel Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Cartel Group whose subsidiaries include real estate, construction, and logistics companies, focuses its mission on improving living standards for vulnerable people in deprived communities across Ghana. Founded by Henry Halm Owoo, the foundation provides support including access to quality education and healthcare, as well as provision of basic human needs and social amenities.
The Boxing Ghana Awards represents an increasingly important fixture on Ghana’s sporting calendar, providing structured recognition for athletes, coaches, officials, media personalities, and promoters who contribute to the sport’s development. As corporate sponsorship grows and the event gains prominence, stakeholders hope it will continue motivating excellence across all levels of Ghana boxing while attracting greater investment into the sport’s infrastructure and promotion.