Ghana’s first female boxing champion, Abigail Quartey, has opened up about the hard work behind her Women’s International Boxing Federation (WIBF) title success, which involved four hours of daily training.
The 28-year-old eased past British opponent Sangeeta Birdi with a barrage of punches and uppercuts to become the nation’s first female world title holder and the 11th overall in Ghana’s history.
Speaking to JoySports’ Haruna Mubarak in a documentary titled “Abigail Quartey: Her Gloves, Her Glory”, she revealed how she sacrificed personal pleasures and dedicated hours in the gym to embrace the grueling demands of the sport.
“Before I start training, I go jogging in the morning for about an hour and a half,” Abigail said.
“After that, I come home, freshen up, and rest for a while. Then, I head to the gym for about two and a half hours. Training before fights is crucial for me because I can’t fight effectively if I don’t prepare.
“Boxing is such a demanding sport that even completing a single round takes a lot out of you. I was determined to win the title, so I made sacrifices.
“I rarely went out. As soon as I finished training, I would eat something and go straight to bed.”
In a sport that often overlooked women, Abigail has punched her way into history, proving that the ring has no gender.
She has an impressive record of nine wins in ten professional bouts and now ranked first in Ghana and 51st globally in her division.
The focus now shifts to how Abigail can successfully defend her title and cement her legacy. However, no opponent has been confirmed yet.
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