Joseph King Kong Agbeko, the former two-time IBF Bantamweight and IBO Super Bantamweight World champion, currently ranked number three by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) chasing another world title, is set to launch ‘The New Generation Mentorship’ programme to tap and develop young fighters through the Joseph Agbeko Foundation in collaboration with Aborigines Promotions. The champion sees it as his contribution to shaping the face of Ghana’s juvenile and amateur boxing.
As passionate and determined as he is to win another world title for Ghana, at least for the last time in his career as a boxer, Agbeko is also determined to give back to the sport whilst campaigning towards achieving his final goal as a professional. The mentorship programme is to guide and promote juvenile and amateur boxers from the grassroots into becoming Olympic gold medalists and world champions for Ghana.
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“Growing through the juvenile and amateur stages to becoming a world champion, I realised most of my mates whom I even considered better than I was did not have the chance to become great professional boxers like myself,” Agbeko bemoaned.
“Instead, some travelled abroad with their career and ended up working and lost their dream of becoming world champions. One of my closest friends who happened to be a very very good boxer, Nii Odartey aka Dodo Lamptey, for instance, ended up as a land guard and lost his life in the process. May his soul continue to rest in peace. I believe all this was a result of lack of proper guidance and management, that’s why my unending gratitude goes to the Gbese Matse, Nii Ayi Bontey, formerly known as Thomas Okine, of Accra Heart of Oak. God saved me through him,” Agbeko recounted.
It is for this reason the programme will recruit young boxers, harness their talents under the strictest disciplinary training routines and prepare them to be the best they can be as amateur and later pro boxers. This will be done by scouting young talented boxers, taking them off the streets, holding regular boxing events, enhancing their technique and giving them exposure.
“With my experience in the world of boxing and having to work with the likes of the famous Don King, I think I’ve learnt a lot to guide these boys through the proper channel into becoming great boxers, and that’s what ‘The New Generation Mentorship’ programme is all about. We will go onto the street to scout young tough boys who are creating troubles in their communities in various ways. Our intention is to counsel and tune their toughness into becoming great in the boxing ring instead of becoming a threat to our communities,” King Kong stated.
“I believe boxing is equally as tough as the street if not more, therefore I believe if we all support boxing, we are eventually giving back to the street. I want to take this opportunity to urge government and corporate Ghana to support boxing to make the street a better place for us all,” the boxer indicated.
“Boxing has produced about nine world champions for Ghana and the same sport won the highest Olympic medals for Ghana beginning with Ike Quartey Sr in 1964. We boxers put our lives on the line every time we attempt to make a living and to make our country proud. I think such a tough and gentle sport deserves a massive support from the Government of Ghana,” Joseph Agbeko stated emphatically.
