I recall with some nostalgia the fanfare surrounding the first ever world boxing title fight staged in Ghana in 1964, between local hero Floyd Robertson and Cuban born Sugar Ramos of Mexico. Jack Solomons, the famous English millionaire boxing promoter staged the tournament with active support from the government of Ghana.

I was then a budding enthusiastic sports journalist with the Daily Graphic and I had the privilege of covering the preparatory activities of the promoter and his able assistant Bobby Diamond prior to the big show. The very fact that I saw a millionaire at close quarters for the first time in my life excited me the most and I will never forget his usual refrain “you can ask for anything but no money” as he hosted two other sports journalists, Sports Director Ohene Djan, boxing legend Roy Ankrah and some officials of the Ghana Boxing Authority on a regular basis at the Ambassador Hotel in Accra.

A good mixer, Jack Solomons was eager to know about the people he was dealing with and what I detected was that some of the sports officials exploited the opportunity to indulge in character assassination of their colleagues much to my discomfiture. My suspicion was that ,each wanted to win the confidence of the boxing millionaire for reasons I could not fathom at the time.

The promoter had been in Ghana at least two weeks to the fight and one day in the middle of the usual back biting by the sports officials during dinner at the Ambassador Hotel, Jack Solomons broke his silence with this statement, “In this world there are two types of people, those who have been found out and those who are yet to be found out”. After uttering that profound statement the back biting stopped. The title fight came on after a couple of days with Floyd losing on a controversial points decision with the chairman of the Ghana Boxing Authority ridiculously reversing the verdict later on at a press conference and all that, but that is not the main point of discussion here.

The point I want to establish is that there are distinct kinds of people in this world.

As my Latin master at Abuakwa State College (ABUSCO) would say “alii alia putant”- different people think differently. We have some people who went through life the very hard way before reaching the top. As they grow up, they become so soft hearted that they are prepared to lend a helping hand at the least opportunity because they hate to see anybody going through the nasty experience they had’.

Then we have another kind of people who want everybody to taste the hard time they experienced “Nothing comes cheap” is their maxim. They are extremely tight fisted and don’t give a damn if you are going to starve to death, they would throw the surplus food into the dustbin with a straight face.

I am happy to report that Ghanaian boxing legend Azumah Nelson, long reigning world boxing champion in three divisions, belongs to the soft hearted group and he is prepared to assist the disadvantaged in society.

It is not just a wish. Azumah has actually established a foundation for that purpose. A school drop out, Azumah started life on a very rough path and at the ripe age of 50, he is convinced that God has done a lot for him and he has to repay society. “The champ”, as he is affectionately called by close pals, has acquired a 50-acre site at Akuse in the Eastern region of Ghana to build the Foundation’s first sports academy.

The academy will comprise a youth leadership training centre of excellence that will offer educational, vocational, and professional and sports skills development opportunities to the disadvantaged but talented youth to realize their individual potentials.

The Foundation was launched recently at an impressive ceremony at the State House in Accra and the invited guests included one of Azumah’s fiercest opponents in his heydays, Juan La Porte of Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican, like many well meaning people around the globe, believes Azumah is on the right path and must be given every necessary encouragement.

The entire sporting fraternity in Ghana also strongly believes that Azumah is pursuing a worthy cause and he should be given national support. It is a fine example by a sporting hero, who would like to show to the nation his appreciation of the massive support he received on his way to stardom and would like to contribute in his own small way to let others benefit from his God given talents and sweats of his toils.

You are welcome to make a contribution to the Azumah Nelson Foundation.