Boxing in Bukom: Five months without the bell

Franck Mohanti, left, and Joseph "Junior Bazooka" Antwi, right, and several younger boxers, train in the narrow alley outside of Wisdom Boxing Gym in the Bukom district of Accra, Ghana. More than 15 community gyms like Wisdom and Bronx Boxing Gym are nestled within Bukom’s dense urban landscape, providing spaces for boxers looking to become Ghana’s next world champion. (Photo by Kalani Chai-Andrade/Joy Sports)

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Bukom, a coastal fishing neighborhood in Ghana’s capital of Accra, has long been regarded as the nation’s boxing mecca.

The district has produced eight of Ghana’s eleven boxing world champions.

In March 2025, the tragic death of Nigerian boxer Gabriel Aluwasegun Olanrewaju during a fight in Accra led to the suspension of professional boxing in Ghana.

The Ghana Boxing Authority was forced to reevaluate its safety protocols and alignment with international standards, while boxers were left without a major platform to fight, earn income, or progress in their careers.

Photographed in July-August, nearly five months without sanctioned matches, this project explores the community of Bukom and those who waited in the ring.

See photos by Joy Sports’ Kalani Chai-Andrade:

Charles Amarteifio, left, and Henry Owusu, right, have a light sparring match inside Wisdom Boxing Gym in the Bukom district of Accra, Ghana. Amarteifio hadn't fought a professional match in five months. Henry Owusu is a 16-year-old amateur boxer. He started boxing at the age of 12, and has since become the national youth lightweight champion. Amateur boxers are managed by the Ghana Boxing Federation, which allows Owusu to continue fighting, even while his future looks uncertain. (Photo by Kalani Chai-Andrade/Joy Sports)

A young boxer, right, kneels down with orange soda dripping from his head and shirt. Adelaide Gabatey, Joseph Antwi, and Haruna Mohammed, left to right, join him. When a new member enrolls at Wisdom Boxing Gym, Coach Dr. Ofori Asare pours orange soda on them and gives a full bottle to each boxer at the gym. The ritual is a light-hearted way to welcome them and garner community. “We have a target to get children out of the street,” Coach Asare said. “Sometimes we transform them by teaching them through informal education, and sometimes we pay their school fees.” (Photo by Kalani Chai-Andrade/Joy Sports)

John "Expensive Boxer" Laryea, right, throws a right hook at Daniel "High Tension" Quaye, left, inside Bronx Boxing Gym in the Bukom district of Accra, Ghana. With a ban on professional boxing in Ghana, sparring has become one of the few ways for boxers to fight. (Photo by Kalani Chai-Andrade/Joy Sports)

Franck Mohanti, left, and Joseph "Junior Bazooka" Antwi, right, and several younger boxers, train in the narrow alley outside of Wisdom Boxing Gym in the Bukom district of Accra, Ghana. More than 15 community gyms like Wisdom and Bronx Boxing Gym are nestled within Bukom’s dense urban landscape, providing spaces for boxers looking to become Ghana’s next world champion. (Photo by Kalani Chai-Andrade/Joy Sports)

Henry Owusu unravels his hand wraps before training outside Wisdom Boxing Gym in the Bukom district of Accra, Ghana. A young boy from the neighborhood watches. In Jamestown, you choose to either become a fisherman or a boxer. Despite the higher pay of fishing, many turn to boxing. Some even train as early as eight years old. (Photo by Kalani Chai-Andrade/Joy Sports)

Bukom is part of the larger district of Jamestown, which is among the poorest areas of Accra, Ghana. Various cookware, clothing, and food from residents surround the entrance to Wisdom Boxing Gym. (Photo by Kalani Chai-Andrade/Joy Sports)

Abdul Wahid Omar swings a rusted sledgehammer at a tire outside Wisdom Boxing Gym in the Bukom district of Accra, Ghana. Pro boxers are stuck in limbo, quietly training until they can fight again. To them, it's more than just a sport. Boxing has become a way of life that keeps them in school and out of trouble. "When I was little, I was stubborn always fighting in the streets. But boxing gave me prupose," Omar said. "No more street fights; now I fight for my country." (Photo by Kalani Chai-Andrade/Joy Sports)

Theophilus Allotey, middle, trains with other boxers in a small weight room inside the walls of Wisdom Boxing Gym in the Bukom district of Accra, Ghana. The entrance is only two feet tall. Allotey has quickly become a rising superstar in Ghana with a record of 12-0, and he is currently the WBO Africa Bantamweight champion. His last sanctioned fight was on December 28, 2024. (Photo by Kalani Chai-Andrade/Joy Sports)

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Boxing

Ghana

Kalani Chai-Andrade