Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, has defended the decision to suspend boxing activities in the country.

The suspension followed the tragic death of professional boxer Ernest “Bahubali” Akushey, who passed away shortly after his bout.

Speaking in an interview with JoySports, Ampofo Ankrah said the Authority was not prepared to take chances with the safety of boxers.

“If we’re not sure, it’s better to be safe than to risk saying a boxer has died because we took chances and looked away. None of us would want that. I’m very sympathetic to the cancelled bouts,” he said.

He also called on stakeholders to appreciate the decision and collaborate in making the sport safer.

“We want stakeholders to understand that this is not just about two fighters going at each other. It’s far bigger than that. Let us broaden our scope, spread it beyond what happens in the ring, and act on the advice of key stakeholders, who were very clear that we needed to take drastic measures,” he added.

The NSA is expected to name a new interim Boxing Management in the coming days who will sanction boxing bouts.