The Underappreciated Success Story of Richard Commey

Richard Commey is now hours away from facing one of his toughest competitors yet, Vasyl Lomachenko. Over the years, the 34-year-old has fought his way through adversity and has scaled through the fractured contemporary landscape of the sport. After nearly a decade of fighting professionally, bagging the IBF lightweight title against Isa Chanie, winning multiple regional titles, and losing a major title shot against Teofimo Lopez in 2019, Commey finally has another shot at securing a shot at the 135 throne.

Commey is a knockout artist and is able to balance it with effective in-ring strategies; 27 out of his 30 total wins have come by knockout. After he lost his title shot against Teofimo Lopez in 2019, Richard Commey re-entered the win column with a knockout win over Jackson Marinez in February 2021.

Now that he is all set to face the former unified lightweight champion from Ukraine, here’ a deeper look at Richard Commey’s background and his story-

Richard Commey’s journey from Ghana to Madison Square Garden

Richard Commey was born in James Town, Accra in Ghana. He had a very humble beginning as he was born in a poor family. While not much is known about the top lightweight’s personal life, it is known that he was raised by a single mother.

Yen.com states that Commey’s mother was a ‘kenkey’ seller, a kind of sourdough dumplings native to the Ga and Fante-inhabited regions of West Africa. Commey reportedly used to help his mother with her ‘kenkey’ selling business.

He went from selling ‘kenkey’ in Ghana to fighting under the bright lights of arenas like MGM Grand and Madison Square Garden. Making his way through the streets of Accra, today, Richard Commey, is ranked number 7 by BoxRec. Many even believe that he is next in line to secure the belts at 135 pounds.

Even though he is not a champion yet, he definitely acts like one even outside the ring. Richard Commey likes to give back to not only the boxing community but also to gyms back home. He and his partner founded ‘StreetWise Foundation’. As a global ambassador for the brand, Richard Commey regularly donates boxing equipment to training centres in Ghana.

Commey could now be one step away from inching closer to another crack at the lightweight title. Do you think he has what it takes to get past someone like Vasyl Lomachenko?