Former President John Dramani Mahama has confirmed that he has encouraged British heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua to serve as an ambassador for boxing in Africa.
Joshua, a two-time world champion of Nigerian descent, paid a courtesy visit to the Jubilee House on Monday after attending the “Battle of the Beasts” boxing event at the Bukom Boxing Arena last Saturday. The event was co-produced by former British welterweight champion Amir Khan and Legacy Rise.
President Mahama expressed hope that Joshua’s involvement could inspire young boxing talents across the continent.
“I told him [Anthony Joshua] he will be our ambassador. It needs people like him to help change the lives of young people, and so we wish him to be an ambassador for boxing in Africa and take that as one of the causes that he champions. After him, there will be a wave of boxers who will also make Africa proud and change the societies from which they come,” Mahama said.
“You are an icon very much loved in Ghana,” he added.
The meeting was attended by Sports Minister Kofi Adams, Ghanaian boxing legend Azumah Nelson, and Sharaf Mahama, CEO of Legacy Rise Sports.
Anthony Joshua is expected to return to the ring later this year, with potential matchups against American heavyweight Jared Anderson or the rising British-Nigerian prospect Moses Itauma.