The close friendship that existed between late President Jerry John Rawlings and renowned boxer Azumah Nelson is widely documented, with Nelson frequently expressing his gratitude and regard for Rawlings for the important role he played in his life.
Azumah Nelson and Jerry John Rawlings certainly had an admirable connection, from the ‘gari and beans’ anecdotes to how Rawlings placed him on the path to success by recommending him to focus on boxing rather than his longstanding desire of becoming a military commander.
However, there was one part of life that Azumah Nelson and Jerry John Rawlings did not discuss. The subject of religion.
According to Azumah, he had chats with Rawlings about practically every aspect of life, but they never talked about religion or God.
In an interview with Dan Kwaku Yeboah, Azumah stated that their refusal to discuss their faith was not because they were both opposed to religion or faith, but rather because he saw Rawlings as a guy with more knowledge than him about religion or faith.
“I never talked Christ with Rawlings because I thought he was ahead of me and knew more than me. I didn’t talk about Christianity or anything like that with him. But I do this with my peers. I tell them to commit to God and offer Him their entire life. I teach to them against vices.”
Azumah Nelson discussed spirituality in sports, including boxing, in which he excelled.
