Hosts Ghana claimed a narrow 4-3 victory over Nigeria in a bilateral boxing friendly held at the Accra Sports Stadium as both nations continued preparations for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The international test event provided both countries with an opportunity to assess their squads ahead of the Games, which are scheduled to begin in July.
Nigeria’s women delivered impressive performances in the early bouts, with Kadijat Ajisola recording a dominant 5-0 victory over Ghana’s Ramatu Quaye in the bantamweight (54kg) category. Aishat Gbadamosi also secured a hard-fought 3-2 win against Nancy Bamfo in the featherweight (57kg) division.
Blessing Orakwe was unable to compete after her Ghanaian opponent failed to appear for their scheduled contest.
The men’s contests, however, swung in favour of the hosts. Ghana’s Amadu Mohammed defeated Michael Ogunremi 5-0 in the bantamweight (55kg) bout, while Ebenezer Ankrah earned another unanimous win over Sodiq Oduniyi in the lightweight (60kg) category.
Abdul Wahid Omar then edged Nigeria’s Abdul Rahman Abdul Wahab 3-2 in the light welterweight (65kg) division to strengthen Ghana’s advantage.
Nigeria responded through Folly Hassan, who claimed a close 3-2 victory over Khalid Abdul in the light middleweight (70kg) contest, but Ghana sealed the overall win after Desmond Pappoe defeated Daniel Joshua 4-1 in the light heavyweight (80kg) bout.
Speaking after the event, Nigeria head coach Anthony Konyegwachie admitted the result highlighted areas that still require improvement despite Nigeria’s strong record against Ghana in previous meetings.
The Nigeria Boxing Federation organised the friendly as part of its build-up programme for the Commonwealth Games, with federation officials also exploring additional international warm-up fixtures before the tournament begins on July 23.
