Shoulder Fracture Forces Desmond Pappoe Out of Commonwealth Games

Ghana’s medal hopes in the men’s 80kg boxing division at the 2026 Commonwealth Games have suffered a major setback after Desmond Pappoe was ruled out of his quarter-final contest through injury.

Pappoe had been scheduled to face Ghanaian-born Canadian boxer Joshua Ofori, but was forced to withdraw after medical examinations confirmed he had sustained a fracture to his right shoulder.

The injury was traced back to his hard-fought 3-2 split-decision victory over New Zealand’s Josh Tonga in the round of 16 on Monday.

Despite suffering the injury in the second round of that bout, Pappoe battled through the pain to complete the contest and secure his place in the quarter-finals.

However, concerns over the extent of the injury grew during Tuesday’s final training session, where the Ghanaian boxer struggled to use his right arm effectively.

The discomfort prompted the team’s medical staff to conduct further assessments, which revealed a fracture in his shoulder.

Following the diagnosis, doctors advised that allowing Pappoe to compete would pose a significant risk of worsening the injury, leaving Team Ghana with no option but to withdraw him from the competition.

As a result, Joshua Ofori progresses automatically to the semi-finals by walkover.

The withdrawal brings a disappointing end to Pappoe’s Commonwealth Games campaign after he showed tremendous resilience by overcoming Tonga despite competing while injured.

It is another frustrating blow for Team Ghana’s boxing contingent, which has endured a series of injury setbacks during the Games.

The focus will now shift to Pappoe’s recovery, while Ghana continues to support its remaining athletes competing across various disciplines in Glasgow.