▪️Ghana’s head coach Ofori Asare picks 16 boxers for the inter-country contest between the West African boxing giants Nigeria and Ghana with the hosts determined to win this bragging rights battle
▪️It’s the second match between the two countries, the first one taking place in 1998 ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia but no winner was declared, according to coach Asare
May 6, 2026
Eight Nigerian boxers, headlined by African Games light-middleweight champion, Blessing Oraekwe, have arrived in Accra for a friendly match between two West African boxing giants on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at the Accra Sports Stadium.
It’s the second inter-country contest featuring Nigeria vs Ghana organised by the two West African federations.
“This is a very good build-up match for us, it’s the second time Ghana and Nigeria are meeting since 1998 when we were preparing for the Malaysia Commonwealth Games we had a similar match at the Accra Sports Stadium, we didn’t declare the winner but in this second one we will announce the winner,” Ghana’s head coach Ofori Asare told boxersworld.co.ke when announcing his team of 16 boxers, 13 male and 3 female pugilists.
Asare went on:”We have enough time to use this match to sharpen our boxers and make adjustments where necessary.”
Ghana’s team has six internationals who include African Games bantamweight champion Amadu Mohammed and twice Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Abdul Wahid. Others are female bantamweight Ramatu Quaye, Ebener Ankrah, Daniel Plange and Desmond Pappimoe. The rest of the 10 boxers are all making their international debut.
Here’s the Ghana team
Female
1) Ramatu Quaye 54kg
2) Nancy Banfo 57kg
3) Elizabeth Darko 75kg
Male
1) Amadu Mohammed 55kg
2) Caleb Mensah 55kg
3) Ebenezer Ankrah 60kg
4) James Okoe 60kg
5) Wahib Mohammed 65kg
6) Khalid Abdul 70kg
7) Solomon Sackey 70kg
8) Desmond Pappoe 80 kg
9) Mubarak Amarh 80kg
10) Jibril Mutari 90kg
11) Daniel plange 90+ kg
12) Isaac Esiedu 90+ kg
13) Dennis Dugbenu 90kg
Head coach
Ofori Asare
Assistant coaches
Charles Quartey
Daniel Lartekwei Lartey
Benjamin A Tetteh
Some of Ghanaian male boxers will fight against themselves as Nigeria have only five male and three female boxers.
Among the eight Nigerian boxers, 27-year-old Oraekwe, who won gold at the 2023 African Games (held in 2024), is the only international in the new-look Nigerian team led in Accra by the Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF) Vice-President Imadu Omonlei.
Besides Oraekwe, the other seven boxers are all making their international debut determined to impress the selectors to include them in the team for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23-August 2.
The youngest member in the team is 19-year-old female featherweight Aishat Gbadamosi.
Here’s Nigeria’s full contingent of 13 people in Accra:
Male
1. Ogunremi Michael – 55kg
2. Sodiq Oduniyi- 60kg
3. Abdulrahmon Abdulwahaab – 65kg
4. Folly Hassan – 70kg
5. Daniel Joshua – 80kg
Female
1. Aishat Gbadamosi 57kg
2. Kadijat Ajisola – 54kg
3. Orakwe Blessing – 75kg
Officials
1. Tonye Ageba – Coach
2. Laguda Babatunde – Technical chairman
3. Lazarus Hirekaan – Doctor
4. Vivian Akohwarien – Secretary General
5. Omonlei Yakubu Imadu – NBF Vice-President
In a telephone interview with boxersworld.co.ke, the footballer-turned- boxer Oraekwe said she’s using the contest to gauge herself ahead of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
“My big goal in Glasgow is to win gold putting my country’s name on the map again,” said the southpaw Oraekwe now fighting in the middleweight category.
“In Accra no girl can beat me, I know myself I’ll punish any opponent lined up for me,” Oraekwe told me.
The Nigerians are looking to maintain their impressive form following a dominant performance in Ghana in 2024 where they won 8 gold and two silver medals with Oraekwe scoring a major upset points victory over two-time African champion Alcinda Dos Santos of Mozambique in the light-middleweight final.
“My victory over Alcinda was so sweet, it’s my most memorable so far beating an African champion more experienced than me,” said Oraekwe.
This is Nigeria’s first international match as a team since the 2024 African Games boxing tournament at the famous Bukom Arena where the they silenced rivals Ghana at their backyard with 10 medals – eight gold and two silvers.
The West African boxing rivalry will be renewed on Thursday in a bragging rights battle with Nigeria having an edge over Ghana in major international championships.
Nigeria’s 10 medallists at the 2024 African Games:
Ifeanyi Onyekwere – men’s 92+kg 🥇
Jacinta Umunnakwe – women’s 81kg🥇
Blessing Oraekwe- women’s 70kg 🥇
Cynthia Ogunsemilore – women’s 60kg🥇
Adams Olaore – men’s 92kg🥇
Patricia Mbata – women’s 75kg🥇
Omole Dolapo- men’s 57kg 🥇
Joy Nene Ojo – women’s 57kg 🥇
Shukura Kareem – women’s 54kg 🥈
Zainab Adeshina – women’s 50kg 🥈
