Retired Ghanaian boxer Azumah Nelson has disclosed that his son, Dalvin Azumah Nelson Junior, decided to quit boxing due to his inability to withstand the physical demands of the sport.
Azumah emphasized that boxing is not suitable for ‘dada ba’ or privileged children who are accustomed to a life of luxury.
He mentioned in an interview with Dan Kwaku Yeboah on his YouTube channel that he introduced Dalvin to boxing at a young age, highlighting the sport’s rigorous nature that necessitates unwavering commitment and perseverance.
He said waking up at 4 am for a morning jog followed by hours at the gym proved to be too challenging for Dalvin in the long run.
“He realised that boxing is not for ‘Dada ba’ people. It’s a sport for hustlers and people from not-too-good backgrounds,” he said.
“I’m not worried that he quit the sport because I wasn’t the one receiving the blows. He was the one receiving it and realized he could not take the blows.
“I introduced him to boxing at a young age and he grew up with it but he later realized he couldn’t do it again. It’s a difficult sport that requires dedication and determination. You wake up at 4am to go for jogging and then hit the gym a few hours later.”
Azumah Nelson, a retired professional boxer from Ghana, had an impressive career spanning from 1979 to 2008. He achieved world champion status in two weight classes, holding the WBC featherweight title from 1984 to 1987 and the WBC super-featherweight title twice from 1988 to 1997.
In 1990, he also made a challenge for the unified WBC and IBF lightweight titles. Additionally, at the regional level, he secured the ABU and Commonwealth featherweight titles between 1980 and 1982.
Regarded as one of the top African boxers in history, he currently holds the 69th spot on BoxRec’s list of the greatest pound-for-pound boxers of all time.
