Ghana narrowly defeated Nigeria four bouts to three in a closely contested boxing friendly held at the Accra Sports Stadium on Thursday, as both nations assessed their squads ahead of preparations for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games scheduled for July.
The bout series served as a key preparation platform for both countries, who are fine tuning their athletes for international competition. Nigeria’s head coach Anthony Konyegwachie acknowledged the result while noting that Nigeria had previously recorded victories over Ghana in 2011 and 2018, describing the loss as a reminder of areas that still require improvement before the Games.
The Nigerian women’s team delivered a strong start in the contest. Kadijat Ajisola dominated Ramatu Quaye in the bantamweight 54kg category, winning five bouts to nil in a commanding performance. Aishat Gbadamosi also impressed, narrowly defeating Nancy Bamfo three bouts to two in the featherweight 57kg division.
Nigeria’s Blessing Orakwe was unfortunately unable to compete after her scheduled opponent failed to appear, resulting in a walkover situation.
However, the men’s division swung the momentum in Ghana’s favor. Amadu Mohammed delivered a clean sweep against Michael Ogunremi in the bantamweight 55kg category, winning five bouts to nil. Ebenezer Ankrah followed with a similar dominant performance over Sodiq Oduniyi in the lightweight 60kg contest.
Abdul Wahid Omar then secured a narrow three bouts to two victory over Abdul Rahman Abdul Wahab in the light welterweight 65kg category, further strengthening Ghana’s position in the contest.
Nigeria responded through Folly Hassan, who defeated Khalid Abdul three bouts to two in the light middleweight 70kg division, briefly keeping the contest alive.
However, Ghana sealed overall victory when Desmond Pappoe overcame Daniel Joshua with a four bouts to one win in the light heavyweight 80kg category, ensuring a final scoreline of four bouts to three in favor of the host nation.
The Nigeria Boxing Federation organized the friendly as part of its structured preparation program for the upcoming Commonwealth Games. Vice President Omonlei Imadu confirmed that discussions are ongoing with two additional countries to arrange more preparatory fixtures before the competition begins on July 23.
Both teams are expected to intensify training in the coming weeks as they refine strategies and evaluate athlete readiness for the global stage.
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