IN THE narrow alleyways and sun-baked streets of Bukom, a small fishing district in Accra, Ghana boxing isn’t just a pastime – it’s a way of life.
It’s here, amid the rhythm of daily struggle and the thud of gloves on pads in makeshift gyms, that the beating heart of Ghanaian boxing resides. Local and international legends like Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey, and Joshua Clottey emerged from these same streets, honing their craft in gyms that possess little more than sweat, determination, and a patchwork of worn-out equipment.
It was in Bukom that Samuel Takyi, the new golden hope of Ghanaian boxing, first slipped on a pair of gloves at the age of nine. “Growing up, life was hard for us. I’m from a poor family,” he tells Boxing News. “I started out playing football at first, and then one of my friends told me about a boxing club. I went along and started fighting.
“There was a guy in the gym they said was their champion. They asked for volunteers to fight him. I put my hand up straight away and said, ‘Ok. I can do it.’ It wasn’t easy – he beat me up. But one of the coaches came over and said, ‘Hey, you can fight. You’re a hard guy. You can do this.’ So I told my parents, and I started going to the gym.”
From that first tentative bout, Takyi’s path to the podium of the delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021 was laid. By “God’s grace”, he won the bronze medal, a symbol not just of personal triumph but also of the enduring fighting spirit of Bukom. “In Bukom we have a lot of hard guys,” Takyi smiles. “We are very hard people. We like fighting. It is part of our life. We have produced a lot of world champions.”
Takyi turned over in 2022 and his professional journey is taking shape under the guidance of Michael Amoo-Bediako, a British-Ghanaian boxing manager whose route into the sport was, in his own words, “purely accidental.” Fifteen years ago, Amoo-Bediako was running a business when a man approached him, asking for work. “He said he was a boxer, and I said, ‘Why do you need a job then?’ He said, ‘Well, there’s no money in boxing.’ So I said, ‘If that’s what you want to pursue, I’ll come and watch you box. If I think you’re any good, I’ll sponsor you.’ That was my route into boxing.”
Amoo-Bediako’s connection to Ghana runs deep. His parents are from the West African country, and a 2010 holiday with his sons brought him face-to-face with the raw talent of local fighters. It was in a gym on this visit that he first met Richard Commey, who he would later guide to become a world champion, fighting at the top level in Las Vegas and New York against elite talents Vasyl Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez. “Watching Richard, I thought, wow, this kid can go all the way to the very top,” Amoo-Bediako recalls.
It was also a formative experience in understanding the stark contrast between Ghanaian boxing culture and the professional infrastructure in the UK. “Ghana is a home from home for me. But what you find in the gyms is a lack of basic equipment — rings, gloves, boots, gum shields. The gyms just don’t have the necessary finances, which really breaks my heart,” he says.
To address this deficit, Amoo-Bediako co-founded the Streetwise Foundation with his good friend, the award-winning photographer Jim Fenwick, distributing equipment from sponsors such as BoxFit in the UK to young Ghanaian fighters and gyms, hoping to give them the tools and confidence to succeed.
The mentorship and management he provides for Takyi goes beyond material support. Amoo-Bediako has a blueprint: give fighters a solid foundation at home, then transition them to the UK for technical refinement. “As I’ve done before when managing Richard Commey and Duke Micah, who both fought at world title level, I’ve brought Samuel into an environment that will aid his development,” he explains.
“He’s been in the UK for the past few months training with Xavier Miller and sparring quality fighters such as Commonwealth and British lightweight mandatory challenger Ahmed Hatim, who I also manage. So Samuel’s learned a lot more about the technical side of boxing.
“Over in Ghana this is something that’s often lacking. Samuel is a very gifted fighter, now it’s about embedding him in the professional ranks so he learns and develops. He understands why he’s here and what it means to be around professional fighters, and learning more about strength and conditioning and nutrition. He’s learning what it’s like to be really disciplined. In Ghana, if you achieve a bit of success – like Samuel did at the Olympics – everyone wants a piece of you, everyone wants to call you out.
“It’s useful for him to be away from all that noise and focus on his development. He’s also been getting some education into the business and media side of boxing since he’s been over here. He’s conducted interviews with various platforms, he came with me to the Usyk vs Dubois press conference. All these experiences help him to understand the wider spectrum of the boxing business.”
“Domestic boxing in Ghana is very different,” Amoo-Bediako continues. “They fight naturally strong and athletic guys at home, but the technical aspect may be somewhat lacking… You try to instil defensive skills, footwork, nutrition, and conditioning into them, adding to what they have naturally to take them to the next level.”
Takyi is learning fast. “The professional game is very different to the amateurs,” he admits. “Longer fights, you have to put in even more hard work – double the work. I’m still learning. I have to work hard, listen more, and take advice if I am to get to the sort of places that I want to get to.”
Samuel’s next test comes on Wednesday in Nigeria against Fatiu Ijomonim, a local undefeated fighter, for the WBO world youth lightweight title on a Chaos in the Ring card promoted by Balmoral and former world champion Amir Khan.
Ahead of his return to the ring, Takyi is laser focused. “It’s been really good being here in the UK,” he enthuses. “I’ve been learning a lot. I’ve really enjoyed being in this country. It’s hard to leave my family, but they understand I’m here to put food on the table for them. And when I’m done with my work I can get back to see them. Xavier is a great trainer and I’m looking forward to our first fight together. I’m ready to get back in the ring and show what I can do. I’m not taking anything for granted but I’m going there to prove myself to Nigeria, the world, and put on a show for my people in Ghana.”
The fight carries added weight, not just for Takyi but for Ghanaian boxing as a whole. Just a few days ago, on September 25, domestic boxing activities in Ghana were suspended, leaving fighters in Bukom and across the country in limbo. Takyi, preparing abroad with the backing of Amoo-Bediako, has been unaffected – but the timing underlines the fragile state of the sport in his homeland, and the importance of opportunities like this one.
“The October 1 fight is about seeing how Samuel works with Xavier and shaking off some ring rust,” Amoo-Bediako says. “Afterwards he will come back to the UK and we’ve got a lot of plans for him for next year. I was delighted to get Samuel on the card. It’s a card that will hopefully help raise the profile of African boxing, and as such it was important that an African Olympic medallist with a high reputation like Samuel was on the show.”
The bout represents a crucial step in Takyi’s professional journey. Ghana currently has no reigning world champion, and his ambition is clear: he wants to be the next. Bukom, the heart of Ghanaian boxing, has produced generations of fighters who thrive on resilience and tenacity.
Samuel Takyi’s story, from street gyms to the Olympic podium, embodies that spirit. Bukom has produced world champions before. With Takyi’s progress being steered by Amoo-Bediako, it might do so again before too long.
