The Long Road Back: Majid Yakubu Is Not Done Yet
By Peace Dai Seven | Staff BoxNation Magazine
Every prospect learns the same hard lesson. It's not if you lose, it's what you do after.
For Majid Yakubu, that moment came on New Year's Day at a packed Bukom Boxing Arena.
In the co-headline of Bishop Boxing Promotions' "Best of Bukom 2," the hitherto unbeaten Yakubu ran into national lightweight champion Joseph "Jaguar" Commey and lost a majority decision. The scores, 97-93, 98-92 and 95-95, told the story of a shutout performance from the 22-year-old champion, a 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medalist and Accra 2023 gold medalist, who was simply too seasoned on the night.
Yakubu didn't just lose a fight. He lost his '0'.
From Prospect to Proving Ground
Just months earlier, Yakubu had been unveiled as the future.
Earlier this year, Bishop Boxing Promotions CEO Dave Bishop announced in Accra the signing of Yakubu as a rising prospect with ambitions to climb the ranks under the promotion's development programme.
Bishop framed it as part of a larger mission: "We're committed to rebuilding Ghana boxing from the scratch."
Yakubu was presented as the project. The young talent to mold, develop, and push toward continental contention. Inside the camp, they called him the New Prince.
Then came Commey.
Why The Loss Might Be The Best Thing For Him
Talk to anyone around the Bishop camp and they'll tell you: the Commey fight was too much, too soon, and exactly what he needed.
Commey, after beating Yakubu to retain his Ghana Boxing Authority belt, is now being lined up for a potential explosive clash with Bernard Abbey. Yakubu, still in his early 20s, went the distance with that level and heard the final bell.
He didn't get stopped. He didn't quit. He got schooled.
That distinction matters in Bukom, where prospects are often protected until they shatter. Yakubu was tested early, under the bright lights of a Bishop Boxing Promotions headline show that "filled the Bukom Boxing Arena as fight lovers showed up to celebrate Ghana's future stars."
The Bishop Plan, Phase Two
This is where the signing really matters. Unlike many Ghanaian talents left to drift after a loss, Yakubu is inside a system built for rebuilding.
Bishop has promised upgraded training facilities, grassroots scouting, modern gyms with qualified coaches, and medical, strength and conditioning support, plus regular events and community outreach initiatives designed to rebuild local talent pipelines.
For Yakubu, phase two is clear: rebuild confidence, tighten the defense that Commey exposed, and work his way back to national contention. With Bishop planning "Bukom Fest” and a slate of fight nights across Ghana, activity won't be a problem.
The lightweight and super-lightweight divisions in Ghana are red-hot right now. New champions like Africanus 'Africa' Neequaye, who stopped Daniel Quaye in 7 to win the national super lightweight title on the same card, are emerging fast. The routes back are plentiful.
The Verdict
Majid Yakubu is no longer the unbeaten New Prince. He's something more interesting: a young fighter with backing, a first loss, and a second chance.
Ghana boxing doesn't need another protected '0'. It needs fighters who lose, learn, and come back better.
Watch this space. The comeback starts now.
