FightMatrix Exclusive: Interview with Undefeated Pro Boxer Joshua Quartey

“This was after my 4th victory and my first time going the full rounds as a professional.

My face looked happy because that fight taught me a lot about professional boxing.”

Introduction:

Joshua ‘The Lion King’ Quartey is 28 years old and an up-and-coming pro boxer. He hails from the greater Accra region of Ghana.  Joshua Quartey (who is also known in private life as Abubakari Quartey) has a perfect professional record of 8-0, with 7 wins coming by the way of knock out.  He is currently ranked #1 middleweight in Ghana and #156 in the world by BoxRec.com. Quartey is currently looking to break out into the international boxing scene.

Q & A:

FightMatrix: Tell us about your early life and family.  What was it like growing up in Ghana?  

Joshua Quartey: My early life was quite a sad one because I lost both my parents by the age of eleven. But i was very fortunate to have a very supporting family who never made me felt like an orphan. I was raised by a very loving mother who always makes me feel how proud she is of me, Her name is Berikisu Ankrah (may she rest in peace). She together with her sons namely Prince George Akrong and Mohammed Adama Akrong, guided me to where i am now. God bless everyone whom I have not mentioned but has helped me in numerous ways to get to my present state.

Many children in Ghana grow up in close-knit families, often with strong cultural ties and community involvement. Traditional values emphasize respect for elders, communal support, and education. Schools often blend formal education with cultural teachings, and children might engage in various activities. My educational background as follows; Accra Sempe 1 primary, Private Odartey Lamptey J.H.S and Presbyterian Senior High School, Osu.

Representing Ghana at the 2019  Olympic qualifier in Dakar, Senegal 

FM: How did you become involved in boxing?

JQ: I grew up in a boxing family, with Boxing Royalty like Ike ‘Bazooka’ Quartey being an Uncle. Moreover my big brothers namely Prince George Akrong, Mohammed Adama Akrong who are in Canada now were also very active boxers at that time and me together with my siblings had no option than to put on boxing gloves, lol. My siblings were Musah Rahman Lawson, Sulemanu Tetteh who are all big names to mention when it comes to Ghana boxing. As juveniles, we have to train in the mornings before going to school and then go to evening trainings after school. I remember most of the times I have to go to school with sore in my mouths from sparring😄😄Sweet memories. I was very fortunate to have one of the finest coaches Africa has produced namely Dr. Coach Ofori Asare of the Wisdom Boxing Gym as my coach. I started boxing at the juvenile level, we usually fight as curtain raisers for big events, fight under peoples programmes till I became an amateur. I won many regional and national championships and represented my country in various international tournaments or events in which I’m proud of till I became a Pro.

Joshua Quartey’s 5th professional fight 

FM: Do you play any other sports?

JQ: I really loved soccer growing up but boxing saved me😄So i only do boxing 

 

FM: You had somewhat of a rough start to your amateur career, but are undefeated as a pro.  What did you change in your approach to training and fighting, if anything?

JQ: First and foremost I want to give thanks to the creator for everything and also to my coach Dr. Coach Ofori Asare who has been helping me better my craft day and night. He has helped me changed my fighting pattern to which was not helping me as an amateur. Moreover, Martin Stark who happens to be the founder of WGBC has also helped toughen me mentally and other areas which is also playing a vital role in my career now.

Joshua Quartey and former world champ Jeff Horn in Australia where he represented Ghana at the Goldcoast Commonwealth games

FM: What motivates you to stay focused in training?

JQ: My tough background and where I want to take my career in the next few years motivates me a lot.

 

FM: Do you have a fight currently scheduled, if so, who will be your next opponent?

JQ:  I had wanted to have a local fight in September but my team(Critical talent agency/Ace power) is working for me to make my US debut so i have to put things on hold and wait for them.

 

FM: What are your short- and long-term career goals?

JQ: My short term goal is to be a world champion and be successful as a boxer and my long term goals is to be able to be financially OK so that I can help and support many orphans and widows as I can because i know how it feels to be one. I want to be a shoulder someone could lean on.

 

FM: Describe a typical day of training.

I usually start my day with a jogging in the morning and go to the gym in the evening, but during tough fights I train three times a day.

Joshua Quartey and Yohan Blake at the 2018 Commonwealth Games representing Ghana

FM: What are your other hobbies besides boxing?

JQ:  I love listening to motivational speeches and watching documentaries.

 

FM: What type of music do you enjoy?

JQ: Afrobeat and Reggae.

 

FM: If you were not a boxer, what would be your next career choice?

JQ: I was a business student back in school so i will be an entrepreneur, anything legal and safe that can bring me money😜

 

FM: Do you have any pets or other animals?

JQ: I love dogs.

 

FM: What inspires you in life?

JQ: Looking at things i want to achieve in life and the change and courage I want to bring to my community as well as humanity inspires me a lot.

 

FM: Is there anything else you would like to tell your fans?

JQ: I wanna say a very big thanks to everyone who has supported me to get this far, especially to Dr. Ofori Asare, Martin Stark, George Evans, Prince num Enoch. Team Quartey has a long way to go and I urge you all to keep supporting me and surely someday our light will surely shine. I wanna say a very big thanks to FightMatrix.com for this interview. Love you all❤❤🙏

 

Conclusion:

I have actually known more than a handful of people from Ghana and can say that they have all been genuine people to me. Ghanaians typically are in general down to earth and are willing to help others. It’s impressive as a culture, that everyone I’ve met who migrated to the United States and those who remain living there, are friendly and hospitable people. Joshua is a great representative of his home country!