Boxing is the sweetest jaw breaking sport. Its prized assets, the boxers, are fired up from the beginning to jealously guard their jaws and their bodies in general while breaking those of their opponents with a fist of fury.

For a sport where every second counts, the first few minutes before the friendly hostility are the most important.

Within those few minutes, careers are defined, others are crushed; hope is restored or dashed right from the very beginning when the boxer makes the entry into the ring. It is not for nothing that boxers choose their own style of entry, their owns songs of motivation because the first minutes before the boxing is the biggest psychological warfare every boxer must win even before he throws his first punch. And when he loses that psychological warfare the battle is lost even before it begins.

So for the boxers getting ready for a bout, every move counts, every word matters including those of the Ring Announcers; nothing gnaws more at the confidence of a boxer than a boring, uninspiring ring announcer introducing the names of the pugilists to a pumped-up crowd as if he is naming a twin in a cathedral.

Nobody sets the mood better than the ring announcer.

So in America or anywhere around the world, if the fight is big and it's the HBO it has to be Michael Buffer. He does not need the delicacies of a buffet to get the job done. All he has is a tremendous voice clothed in the longest trademark "let’s get ready to rumble" a shout which is a major, magical psychological boost, a rallying cry for the pugilists, the spectators and anybody else interested in taking part in the boxing dinner. Buffet is served!

If it is the Showtime staging the bout, Jimmy Lennon Jnr will name the boxers and call the fight. “It is Showtime” he will announce, beckoning the men into a jaw-breaking action and set the fans alight with a thundering cheer just before the rain of jabs and the flood of punches.

In Ghana and Africa whether it is DSTV supersport, Kwèsè Sport, Box Office or Baby Jet staging the bout, one dark, clean-shaven and stylish man stands tall - Nathaniel Attoh. His voice is made for the ring. He produces the right speech sound and gets the job done and done with finesse.

Photo Credit: Senyuiedzorm Adadevoh- Attoh with management of the Baby Jet Promotions. In there is Black Stars captian Asamoah Gyan

At the opening of Ghana’s own Madison square garden, the Bukom Boxing Arena, the man who has love for sports but more intimate with boxing opened the arena with style and flamboyance.  For a country that had produced the world beaters in many divisions, including the legendary Azumah Nelson, a decent boxing arena to host the biggest fights in Africa should have been a matter of course but no, it was a dream, a luxury, until the latter part of 2016 when the arena was commissioned. So yes, an almost 5,000 seater Bukom Arena was a dream come true, no matter how small it is. Its commissioning could not have been done without the crème of society and the prominent faces in the boxing fraternity., And if all who matter in boxing and the society were present at the commissioning, who best could move the crowd, than the man with style, Nathaniel Attoh. “Choooooooboi! he summoned the vocal cords within him into action and chanted a local, popular call to duty, rallying the ex-president John Mahama and several other dignitaries at the event for an illustrious commissioning and an even greater night of boxing extravaganza.

But that was not his first.

On March 22, 2013 the night on which Joseph Agbeko pummeled Luis Melendez in Accra for the IBO Bantamweight bout, Nathaniel Attoh cut his ring announcing teeth in style. At no point in that bout did he look or sound like a man learning a new trade. For a sport which allows mistakes but at a costly expense, Attoh could not afford the price of a career-threatening mistake. His movement in the ring on the night was deliberate, well-rehearsed; cut in the frame of a model, adorned in a fitting black three-piece suit, with a black bow tie strapped to the collar of a white shirt, Attoh could not go wrong with his dressing. His sense of fashion is phenomenal, a man of colour, a body of art. It is not by accident that he was twice nominated for the most stylish media personality award at the Glitz Africa style awards.

In style he exuded confidence big enough for the occasion. He mesmerized the crowd with a rich commanding voice and a tone that captured the emotions of the crowd and kept them in suspense for a while just before announcing Agbeko as winner of the bout.

If ever boxing has a place in Ghana’s fourth Republican Status, Attoh will have his name etched in stone as the man who drove the crowd in the biggest bouts that had Ghana’s sitting or ex-presidents attending.

Swapping smiles with the ex-president John Mahama

Ex-president John Rawlings, Ex-president John Mahama and president Nana Akufo-Addo have all at different points been the guests of honour at a boxing event chauffeured by Nathaniel Attoh. If a child washes his hands he could eat with kings, so says an old African Proverb. Attoh has washed his hands, cut his teeth and is now swapping tender smiles and golden fists with presidents in the ring.

“That is really humbling for me” Attoh said in a light conversation with Myjoyonline.com.

But the journey into the ring has been long and tortuous. “Talent passion and the thirst for quality” are the three main pillars that have underlined Attoh’s path to fame.

For several years, ace journalist Kwabena Yeboah, the writer and commentator extraordinaire along with Nii Lante Vanderpuye a former Sports Minister of Ghana held the ring announcing mantle and they gave their best.

Attoh with president Nana Akufo-Addo

Attoh, a studious student of boxing watched them anytime he went to the stadium to cover a boxing bout as a Sports Journalist with the Graphic Sports.

“I can be in there too; I must be the one announcing these two boxers” Attoh would always say to himself with smack of determination.

“As a man thinketh, so is he,” the good book said but the period between that dream and the night on which Attoh stood in that Agbeko, Melendez ring and shouted “A.C.C.R.A. Are you ready” was years of hard work sacrifice and passion.

For many sleepless nights he stood before the mirror calling the attention of things that were not as if they were, and announcing names of imaginary boxers for the biggest bout in his bedroom.

Attoh gets a shoulder support from ex-president Rawlings

For many restless days he followed the beat, studied the rules and reported the news of all the knockouts and the knockdowns. When Ike Quartey fought the late Vernon Forrest at the Madison Square Garden NY in 2006, he was there to cover. "I saw Michael Buffer during the weigh-in for that fight.  But my work as a journalist had taken the better of me so my focus was on the two boxers just like the many American journalists who wanted the best still shots and voice clips." He wore white sneakers a pair of khaki pants with a polo shirt over it. He was simple but classy and even though a reach for an autograph, a selfie or interview with an idol was not a bad idea, I declined the temptation. But i guess all of that will happen one of these days. I respect Buffer a great deal. He has worked this craft to legendary status and has made massive impact across the globe," Attoh blushed in the conversation with Myjoyonline.com

And when Joseph Agbeko fought Abner Mares at the Honda Centre Anaheim California, in 2011, Nathaniel Attoh was present. "I loved covering that world title fight. I interviewed the Legendary Don King and Oscar de la Hoya, the Golden Boy. The sad bit was that Agbeko lost that bout."

Attoh and Agbeko before the Mares bout

When Ike Quartey pummeled Clint Mcneil at the Azumah Nelson Complex in Accra in the headline-grabbing comeback, Attoh was on the beat and many others he never missed. He learnt the ropes with dedication and an exemplary commitment.

Now the Editor of Joy Sports and the host of the most listened to Sports Link programme on Joy FM, which is the biggest media platform in Ghana, Attoh carved a great boxing niche for himself, even if football, for many, remained the passion of the nation. He was not the man to follow the crowd. He was faithful to boxing.

He is also a versatile master of ceremony with the gifted art of handling the biggest corporate event, the gallant black-tie award ceremony, the birthday party, the sweetest wedding ceremony, the easygoing 90s Jam, including the rugged boxing match up without compromising on quality for each occasion. Only few can do all that at top notch.

So when Braimah Kamoko, popularly called Bukom Banku and Ayittey Powers swore to tear each other apart in what was the biggest attendance in recent times with about 20,000 fans at the Accra Sports Stadium, Attoh was the man organisers of the bout found fit to talk the walloping mouths of the two boxers into action.

Attoh flanked by Banku on the right and Powers on his left

After months of drama, a comedy of postponement, Banku subjected Powers to a thorough one-sided beating in the full glare of the thousands that gathered to watch the bout. Attoh was there to call in favour of Banku.

Few years after that illustrious night, Attoh was again called upon to call the bout, this time in favour of Bastie Samir who had walloped the walloping mouth of Bukom Banku and reduced him into a sparring partner instead of a worthy opponent.

Samir too busy to smile after superb victory over Banku

In keeping with Napoleon Hill’s enduring statement “Your only limitation is the one you set up in your own mind” Attoh is looking to take on the world with his art just like mentors, Buffer and Lennon have done and why not?

If Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey, Nana Konadu, Joseph Agbeko and many other Ghanaian boxing greats underlined their superiority against the world’s greatest, Nathaniel Attoh can take his trade to the HBO, Showtime in no time.

But before that watch him closely Saturday night, January 27, 2018, as he announces Emmanuel Tagoe's first defence of his IBO lightweight title against Fernando Saucedo, into action.

Nathaniel Attoh can be followed on instagram @citizenattoh, twitter @niiattoh5 and on Facebook Citizen Attoh.