Boxing is no Cakewalk!

Nym Botchway

Description

Boxing is no cakewalk! Azumah ‘Ring Professor’ Nelson in the Social History of Ghanaian Boxing explores the social history of boxing in Ghana and its interesting nexus with the biography of Azumah Nelson, unquestionably Ghana’s most celebrated boxer. The book posits that sports constitute more than mere games that people play. They are endowed with enormous political, cultural, economic and social power that can influence people’s lives in various ways.
Boxing is no cakewalk! interrogates the social meaning and impact of boxing within the colonial and postcolonial milieux of popular culture in Ghana. Consequently, it reconsiders the prevailing conception of boxing as adversative to ‘enlightened’ human culture by arguing that it is a positive formulator of individual and national identities. The historicising of sports and the lives of sportspersons in Ghana provides an eloquent backdrop for an understanding of the past social dynamics and their effect in the present.
The book’s analytical narrative offers an intellectual contribution to the promising areas of social and cultural history in Ghana’s historiography and the scholarly discourse on identity formation and social empowerment through the popular culture of sports.

Informations

• Publié par: NISC (Pty) Ltd
• Date de parution: 17 juillet 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 3
• EAN13: 9781920033576
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

Dedication To my Nananom and Neteru, Before, Now and Forever!

About te Serîes he Arîcan Humanîtîes Serîes îs a partnersîp between te Arîcan Humanîtîes Program (AHP) o te Amerîcan Councî o earned Socîetîes and academîc pubîsers NïSC (Pty) td. he Serîes covers topîcs în Arîcan îstorîes, anguages, îteratures, pîosopîes, poîtîcs and cutures. Submîssîons are soîcîted rom Feows o te AHP, wîc îs admînîstered by te Amerîcan Councî o earned Socîetîes and Inancîay supported by te Carnegîe Corporatîon o New York. he purpose o te AHP îs to encourage and enabe te productîon o new knowedge by Arîcans în te Ive countrîes desîgnated by te Carnegîe Corporatîon: Gana, Nîgerîa, Sout Arîca, Tanzanîa, and Uganda. AHP eowsîps support one year’s work ree rom teacîng and oter responsîbîîtîes to aow te Feow to compete te project proposed. Eîgîbîîty or te eowsîp în te Ive countrîes îs by domîcîe, not natîonaîty. Book proposas are submîtted to te AHP edîtorîa board wîc manages te peer revîew process and seects manuscrîpts or pubîcatîon by NïSC. ïn some cases, te AHP board wî commîssîon a manuscrîpt mentor to undertake substantîve edîtîng and to work wît te autor on reInîng te Ina manuscrîpt. he Arîcan Humanîtîes Serîes aîms to pubîs works o te îgest quaîty tat wî oreground te best researc beîng done by emergîng scoars în te Ive Carnegîe desîgnated countrîes. he rîgorous seectîon process beore te eowsîp award, as we as AHP edîtorîa vettîng o manuscrîpts, assures attentîon to quaîty. Books în te serîes are întended to speak to scoars în Arîca as we as în oter areas o te word. he AHP îs aso commîtted to provîdîng a copy o eac pubîcatîon în te serîes to unîversîty îbrarîes în Arîca.

AHP Edîtorîal Board Members as at June 2019

AHP Serîes Edîtors: Proessor Adîgun Agbaje, Unîversîty o ïbadan, Nîgerîa Proessor Emerîtus Fred Hendrîcks, Rodes Unîversîty, Sout Arîca

Consultant: Proessor Emerîtus Sandra Barnes, Unîversîty o Pennsyvanîa, USA (Antropoogy)

Board Members: 1 Proessor Akosua Adomako Ampoo, ïnstîtute o Arîcan Studîes, Gana (Gender Studîes & Advocacy) (Vîce Presîdent, Arîcan Studîes Assocîatîon o Arîca) 2 Proessor KoI Anyîdoo, Unîversîty o Gana, Gana (Arîcan Studîes & îterature) (Dîrector, Codesrîa Arîcan Humanîtîes ïnstîtute Program) 3 Proessor ïbraîm Beo-Kano, Bayero Unîversîty, Nîgerîa (Dept o Engîs and Frenc Studîes) 4 Proessor Satî Fwatsak, Unîversîty o Jos, Nîgerîa (Dept o Hîstory & ïnternatîona Studîes) 5 Proessor Patrîcîa Hayes, Unîversîty o te Western Cape, Sout Arîca (Arîcan Hîstory, Gender Studîes and Vîsuaîty) (SARCï Caîr în Vîsua Hîstory and heory) 6 Assocîate Proessor Wîred aju, Coege o Humanîtîes & Socîa Scîences, Makerere Unîversîty, Uganda (Dept o Pîosopy) 7 Proessor Yusuu awî, Unîversîty o Dar-es-Saaam, Tanzanîa (Dept o Hîstory) 8 Proessor Bertram Mapunda, Unîversîty o Dar-es-Saaam, Tanzanîa (Dept o Arcaeoogy & Herîtage Studîes) 9 Proessor ïnnocent Pîkîrayî, Unîversîty o Pretorîa, Sout Arîca (Caîr & Head, Dept o Antropoogy & Arcaeoogy) 10 Proessor Josepat Rugemaîra, Unîversîty o Dar-es-Saaam, Tanzanîa (Dept o Foreîgn anguages & înguîstîcs) 11 Proessor ïdayat Boa Udegbe, Unîversîty o ïbadan, Nîgerîa (Dept o Psycoogy)

Published in this series

Domînîca Dîpîo,Gender terraîns în Arîcan cînema, 2014 Ayo Adeduntan,Wat te orest tod me: Yoruba unter, cuture and narratîve perormance,2014 Sue E. Egya,Natîon, power and dîssîdence în tîrd-generatîon Nîgerîan poetry în Engîs, 2014 ïrîkîdzayî Manase,Wîte narratîves: he depîctîon o post-2000 and învasîons în Zîmbabwe, 2016 Pasca Mungwînî, ïndîgenous Sona Pîosopy: Reconstructîve însîgts, 2017 Syvîa Bruînders,Paradîng Respectabîîty: he Cutura and Mora Aestetîcs o te Crîstmas Bands Movement în te Western Cape, Sout Arîca, 2017 Mîcae Andîndîîe,he Angopone îterary-înguîstîc contînuum: Engîs and îndîgenous anguages în Arîcan îterary dîscourse, 2018 Jeremîa Arowosegbe,Caude E Ake: te makîng o an organîc înteectua, 2018 Romanus Abo,Language and te constructîon o mutîpe îdentîtîes în te Nîgerîan nove, 2018 Bernard Matoîno,Consensus as Democracy în Arîca, 2018 Babajîde Ooajuo,Unsared ïdentîty: Postumous paternîty în a contemporary Yoruba communîty, 2018

BOXING IS NO CAKEWALK! Azumah ‘Ring Professor’ Nelson in the Social History of Ghanaian Boxing

DE-VALERA NYM BOTCHWAY

Pubîsed în Sout Arîca on bea o te Arîcan Humanîtîes Program by NïSC (Pty) td, PO Box 377, Graamstown, 6140, Sout Arîca www.nîsc.co.za

Fîrst edîtîon, Irst împressîon 2019

Pubîcatîon © Arîcan Humanîtîes Program 2019 Text © De-Vaera NYM Botcway 2019

A rîgts reserved. No part o tîs pubîcatîon may be reproduced or transmîtted în any orm or by any means, eectronîc or mecanîca, încudîng potocopyîng, recordîng, or any înormatîon storage or retrîeva system, wîtout prîor permîssîon în wrîtîng rom te pubîser.

ïSBN: 978-1-920033-56-9 (prînt) ïSBN: 978-1-920033-57-6 (PDF) ïSBN: 978-1-920033-58-3 (ePub)

Manuscrîpt mentor: Pro. Aswîn Desaî Project manager: Peter ague ïndexer: Mîce Cozîer Cover desîgn: Advanced Desîgn Group Cover potograps: Front © Caros Scîebeck/AFP/Getty ïmages Back, top © he Rîng Magazîne/Getty ïmages Back, mîdde and bottom © Ken evîne/Asport see ast page or captîons to cover potograps

he autor and te pubîser ave made every efort to obtaîn permîssîon or and acknowedge te use o copyrîgt materîa. Soud an înadvertent înrîngement o copyrîgt ave occurred, pease contact te pubîser and we wî rectîy omîssîons or errors în any subsequent reprînt or edîtîon.

C

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Acknowledgements Foreword Preace Glossary o acronyms and abbrevîatîons

Lîst o Igures

e

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t

s

C HAPTER 1 Sports and modern boxîng Sports as eîcîtors o ambîvaence Sports, poîtîcs and socîety An overvîew o ancîent and modern ‘Engîs-stye’ boxîng up to te twentîet century he acuna în Ganaîan îstorîograpy Azuma Neson: Boxîng în Ganaîan îdentîty and socîety Proposîtîons and înterrogatîng te subject Revîew o reated îterature Sources and metods Organîsatîon o te book Notes

C HAPTER 2 Roots o modern boxîng în Gana Ga-Masîe and îts assîmîatîon o Engîs-stye boxîng, c.1600 toc.1930s he state o boxîng în Gana,c.1958 toc.1980 Notes

C HAPTER 3 Orîgîns? ‘ï am te son o my people’ he begînnîng Azuma Neson: Bîrt and cîdood days he paterna and materna ancestry o Azuma Neson

x xî xîv xvî xvîî

1 2 7

8 19 21 22 23 28 30 33

35

35 60 76

81 81 83 85

vii

viii

Azuma Neson’s adoescence and gravîtatîon towards boxîng Eary gory: From te Prîson Servîce Boxîng Team to te Back Bombers,c.1974 to 1978 Concudîng remarks Notes

C HAPTER 4 he rîse o te Azuma legend: he early years Azuma Neson ventures înto proessîona boxîng he Goden Feece: Azuma Neson grabs te WBC Featerweîgt Tîte, 1984 Deendîng îs tîte and reputatîon, 1985 to 1987 Notes

C HAPTER 5 he legend contînues: he glory years Azuma Neson graduates to te super-eaterweîgt eve Rex o te super-eaterweîgts Azuma Neson and te HïV saga, 1988 Stî te camp: Wî e strîde înto te îgtweîgt dîvîsîon? A wrong move? Perne Wîtaker beats Azuma Neson, 1990 Azuma Neson returns to rue te super-eaterweîgts, 1990 A ater and son afaîr: Azuma Neson deeats Jef Fenec, 1992 Azuma Neson deends îs tîte agaînst Cavîn Grove and Gabrîe Rueas, 1992–1993 Adîos Amîgo! Azuma Neson and Don Kîng part ways A contested draw, 1993 Rematc: Jesse J. eîja deeats Camp Camp grabs te super-eaterweîgt tîte rom Gabrîe Rueas, 1995 Notes

C HAPTER 6 he begînnîng o te end: Retîrement Twîîgt: he Genaro Hernandez trîump, 1997 he dîsastrous return: Azuma Neson aîs to grab a îgtweîgt tîte în 1998 Retîrement and îe ater retîrement

88

98 108 108

111 112

125 128 135

138 138 140 141 143 147 152 156

163 168 170 173 175 179

181 181

183 184

he controversîa ‘und-raîsîng’ Igt wît Jef Fenec, 2008 Revîewîng te boxîng brîîance o Azuma Neson Notes

C HAPTER 7 More tan paîn and passîon: Azuma Nelson’s out-o-te-rîng lîe Wîtout te goves: A usband, ater and amîy man Outsîde te rîng: A socîa actîvîst and îdo Gîvîng to socîety: he Azuma Neson Foundatîon Notes

C HAPTER 8 Conclusîons Notes

A PPENDIX :Potograps

B IBLIOGRAPHY

I NDEX

185 189 200

201 202 206 216 223

225 229

230

234

260

i

x