Boxing: Living his father’s dream — Azumah Nelson’s rise from Bukom

To trace the rise of one of Africa's greatest boxers, you must begin in Bukom, the sprawling fishing neighbourhood known as the hotbed for Ghana's best pugilists.

The sporting passion was planted in Azumah Nelson, by his father, Emmanuel Nelson, a tailor and boxer, who secretly trained in the shadows against his dad's wishes. Azumah, born in 1958, watched his first fight with his dad when he was just seven years old, a moment that triggered his interest in boxing.

The following year, he began going to a local gym. Confident in his abilities, he even dared one of the best boxers in the neighbourhood. The start was rough.

"I went there, and that boy beat me like a baby. I couldn't even hit him," he recalled in an interview with the New York Times during his career. "I went home that night and stayed up trying to figure out a strategy and moves."

That loss changed the trajectory of his career and his early life, which was mostly a struggle to survive. He grew up in poverty in the coastal district of the nation's capital, Accra.

Early childhood losses didn't deter him at all. Instead, they revealed the mindset of a man who would rise to become a household name in the West African country and the world of boxing.

Turning pro

Azumah boasted an amateur win-loss record of 50-1, winning a gold medal in the featherweight division at the 1978 All-Africa Games and the Commonwealth Games title in the same year.

His professional breakthrough moment arrived in 1982, when, at short notice, Nelson was handed a chance to challenge the world Featherweight champion Salvador Sanchez at New York's famous Madison Square Garden.

Despite his defeat by a technical knockout in the 15th round, Azumah did enough to solidify his status as one of the best young talents in boxing.

The world took note, and so did Don King, the renowned boxing promoter, who worked with the likes of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.

Some within the sport felt his first pro fight was called off too soon, but Azumah took it in his stride and it became a key chapter in his chase for greatness.