Little is known of boxer Raymond Narh to Ghanaians, yet those in the State calls him the puncher kid from Ghana with Sugar Ray Robinson style. One thing that put him on the world map is the fact that he broke the legendary boxer, Azumah ‘Zoom Zoom – the professor’ Nelson twenty years record in the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia by winning gold.
A feeling Raymond can’t explain and the joy is still with him in this very moment. He described that feeling as more than hitting a jack pot. Ray Narh is Ghana’s new boxing hope. He is the pound for pound the best lightweight boxer in the sport.
Dethroning Angel Hernandez to win the WBC USNBC lightweight title, Raymond is signed on to the Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Company and he picked the WBC Jr. Title in his second fight in the company. Ray has hired a publicist Sharon Nyantekyi from Western Exposure PR.
GhanaCelebrities.com caught the boxer born in Accra, Ghana as Raymond Akwete Narh with fight records: Won 24 (KO 21) + lost 1 (KO 1) + drawn 0 = 25 in an exclusive interview.
Below are the excerpts.
GhanaCelebrities.com: Congratulations on your victory over Angel Hernandez. How are you feeling?
Ray Narh: Thanks. I feel great coming out of long hiatus and to win this kind of belt (WBC USNBC lightweight title)
GhanaCelebrities.com: What made you decide to get into boxing?
Ray Narh: Boxing is a family trade and it runs through my blood. My mother’s side of the family is filled with boxers, that is why I decide to do it.
GhanaCelebrities.com: How do you normally prepare for a fight?
Ray Narh: Well, here is how I prepare for a fight. I always get up early in the morning and do my road work for an hour and half and hit the gym in the afternoon for a serious gym work which includes sparring , hitting the mitts , working with heavy bag, jumping of rope, moving with the double end bag etc. to get in shape. I do this for a period of six weeks before fight time.
GhanaCelebrities.com: Why did you decide to move to Pennsylvania, USA?
Ray Narh: I decide to move to America because my former manager lives here and thinks America is the college of boxing so to make it to the top, I had to come here and be around the big time boxing circle and see what really goes on in the professional world of boxing.
GhanaCelebrities.com: How different is the training regime you had in Ghana, compared to the training regime you have in the USA?
Ray Narh: Training here in the U.S. is way different and better than what we have in Ghana. There is more equipment just for the hand, head, legs etc. compared to only one or two items that we have in Ghana. If Ghana could get like half of the equipment that we have here, Ghana would produce more world champions than any other country in the world because of the God given talent Ghanaian sports men and women have.
GhanaCelebrities.com: What did it mean to you to be selected as a member of the Ghanaian 2000 Olympics team in Sydney, Australia?
Ray Narh: To be an Olympian is a great achievement to every amateur boxer in the whole wide world, so that was one of my wildest dreams come true as an amateur. Before I went professional, I was filled with everlasting joy when I was selected in South Africa to represent my motherland, Ghana. Once again, I was placed on an international level after the 1998 commonwealth game. It was a dream come true for me and will tell that interesting story to my kids some day.
GhanaCelebrities.com: You won gold in the Malaysian Commonwealth Games- how significant was that moment for you?
Ray Narh: That gold medal win was unexplainable. The joy of breaking Azumah Nelson’s record as the last Ghanaian to win a Commonwealth Gold medal in twenty years was to me more than hitting the jack pot. As a young 20 year old kid with big dreams, it taught me that every goal set can be achieved and that nothing is impossible with God. This has changed my life for good and am proud of the dedication and hard train I put in and it’s for paying off.
GhanaCelebrities.com: You are not as widely known as other Ghanaian boxers like Joshua Clottey or Ike Quartey. Why do you think this may be?
Ray Narh: Those in the boxing circles all these years know me well and here in the States am widely known as the puncher kid from Ghana with the Sugar Ray Robinson style and power but I had a 20 month layoff which made Ghanaians to lose track of me. Now my problems with promoters have been fixed and I have hired a great publicist from Western Exposure PR. Her name is Sharon Nyantekyi and she is the best in the business.
She is helping me to reach out to Ghanaians everywhere and let them know that not only am I the best boxer but I also care about my fellow Ghanaians. She is also helping me expand my brand deeper into the U.S. market. I have met with the Ghanaian Consulate in New York and various Ghanaian leaders and want to reach out and help our great nation of Ghana. I would like to work with youth sports and support charities that are helping to improve the lives of Ghanaian youth. I think it is important to give back. Now I am back at the level I left off and even better. My man, Ike Quartey, was a great world champ which is why Ghanaians knows him. I am the most widely known WBC USNBC champ now and am going to be the 8th Ghana’s World Champion and not only will Ghanaians know me but the whole world will as well.
GhanaCelebrities.com: Do you think you are not promoted as much as maybe you deserve to be?
Ray Narh: Like I mentioned earlier, I had a problem with my promoter who couldn’t push me to the next level so I had to pay the price of sitting on the bench till the contract ran. Now I am with Roy Jones Jr. boxing company and in my second fight with them I’ve won a USA WBC Jr. Title so now we moving on to bigger things. Now I am where I want to be and God is going to see us through and make all our needs and want come to pass.
GhanaCelebrities.com What do you think sets you apart from other mainstream Ghanaian boxers?
Ray Narh: I don’t like to compare myself with any other boxers. What I will say is that I have a passion for Ghana and want out great nation to prosper. I want to restore Ghana’s boxing image when I claim the World Title and give back to my country. Additionally, boxers tend to have bad reputations in their personal lives. I am a family man. I love my wife, Kate Narh, and my beautiful baby girl Jada Rae. I am a Christian and try my best to place God first.
GhanaCelebrities.com: Who is your next opponent going to be?
Ray Narh: The WBC has given me 90days to defend the belt so my promoter is working on our next opponent now.
GhanaCelebrities.com: What other titles have you set your sights on?
Ray Narh: Apart from the WBC title which is my main target, I am interested in the WBA, WBO and the IBF. Whichever will give me the first opportunity to fight for their belt, I will be appreciative and grateful.
GhanaCelebrities.com: How do you plan to achieve all this?
Ray Narh: By staying focus and by pushing myself harder than ever before in training and God will do the rest up for me.
GhanaCelebrities.com: Do you have a message for your fans?
Ray Narh: I want to tell my loving boxing fans that it our time to shine is here and we ain’t letting it off the hook so they should go on to have the faith and believe in me and I will make them proud. Ghana needs a world title and I have decided to put my life on the line to bring it so they should continue to root and rally behind me and joy and happiness will be ours when the final battle is won. phil 4 :13
Nice interview, never had heard of him..
Wow. He is very impressive. Finally, a boxer with some morals. Hope he can make it to the top.
Quiet impressive, hope he make it to where he desire’s.Boy go make ghana proud.
A worthy record to break is to rule for 10 years as a champion; that’s what Azumah did.