Boxing in Ghana emerged as an organized sport in Accra, Ghana underpinned by universal rules and regulations governing boxing, in the first half of the twentieth(20th) century endeavored to replace the local fighting christened “Asafo Atwele” (group fighting) of the Ga people in Accra central with the western style of boxing.
According to historians, the phenomenon represented a complex interplay between the Western sport of boxing and the indigenous Ga pugilistic sport of Asafo Atwele (group fighting).
The origins of Asafo Atwele as a mass sport was rooted in particular socio-spatial sites associated with fisher folks at Bukom within Ussher Town or Dutch Accra vicinity at the time. The emergence of a martial Ga spirit, beginning with the social dynamics that made fighting in defense of the Ga state as an avenue for the incorporation of strangers, slaves, and ex-slaves into pre-colonial Ga society.
It was revealed that fighting among commoners’ in the area created an atmosphere of esprit de corps (feeling of bride and mutual loyalty) that gave some youth social groupings a high sense of shared dignity and identity.
By the early twentieth century, fight contests among commoners was introduced to strategically help shape their fighting skills and also develop courage, hardiness, swiftness in their art of “Asafo Atwele” (group fighting) and “Abotire” (wrestling).
Boxing then became a recognized sporting discipline and saw the transition to Western-style of boxing underpinned by reforms and universal rules and regulations governing the pugilistic sport popularly called the noble art of self-defense. Boxing over the past decades has become an important platform for individuals to have dreams, put in the needed efforts and live to realize their dreams as boxers, managers, promoters, ring officials and match-makers.