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Born in Accra, Found the Church in Japan
Martin Biney, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is an accomplished boxer, referee, and two-time middleweight boxing champion in the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC). Martin’s story of finding the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is an example of how people everywhere hear and follow the voice of the Lord.
Martin Biney was born and raised in Accra, Ghana in a Christian home. He loved to play soccer and played it regularly growing up. When he was 23 years old (1986), he decided to leave home and move to Japan where he could study automobile mechanics. He found friends in Japan who played soccer, and when he wasn’t studying, he played soccer all the time. He met and became very good friends with Nae Sugawara (from Saitama-ken, Kasukabe-shi, Japan) while playing soccer. She and Martin would get together often. When he was 25 years old, he badly injured his leg while playing his favorite sport. This injury kept him from being able to play soccer well, so he considered other options to help him stay active. As a result, at age 27 he decided to take up boxing to replace his love for soccer.
Boxing was something new to the young athlete. He joined a local gymnasium and boxing facility where the coaches and staff saw great potential in his natural ability. In 1989, when he was 27 years old, he and Nae were married.
He worked as a delivery man for a transportation and shipping company. At the same time, he was raising his family and focusing on his boxing skills by working out three hours each day. In 1994, after years of dedicated hard work, Martin Biney won the middleweight boxing championship in the JBC. Everything seemed to be going well for him and his family.
Shortly after his victory as a middleweight champion, Martin was again injured in a life-changing automobile accident. Because of his injuries, he felt like he could not continue with his boxing career. He was discouraged and felt a loss in life. By this time, Martin and Nae were the parents of two young boys, Marvin, and Julius.
He continued to stay fit and to work, providing for his family. One day in 1995, the humbled Martin was assigned to deliver a copy machine to a local church. It was The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While making the delivery, he met missionaries who introduced him to the restored gospel and the Book of Mormon. They gave Martin a copy of the Book of Mormon and started teaching him.
Martin enjoyed reading the Book of Mormon and recognized the Spirit and direction it provided in his life. A few months later, after receiving a personal testimony, Martin Biney was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church. As a new member of the Church, Martin attended every week, but for many years, his wife and children stayed home. Brother Biney states, “After I was baptized and received the gift of the Holy Ghost, I felt blessed. I had more confidence and felt impressed to go back to boxing.”
The Lord blessed Martin and, in 1997, at the age of 34, Martin Biney again became the middleweight boxing champion in Japan.
Martin’s wife, Nae, later decided to learn more about the Church, and in 2008 she was baptized. She and Martin were sealed in the Sapporo Japan Temple in 2021. They love the gospel and enjoy doing things together.
From the example of Martin Biney and his wife, Nae, we gain spiritual eyes to see that people everywhere, even in countries that are not predominantly Christian, there are those who hear the Savior’s voice and follow Him.
Martin and Nae serve as faithful members of the Urawa Ward in the Tokyo Japan Stake. The Bineys love serving in the Primary organization and find great joy in teaching the gospel to the children in the ward. He continues his passion for the sport of boxing as a referee and as a judge and shares his testimony of the gospel by his example to those he associates with, both in and out of the boxing ring!
His story helps us to see that we all are children of a loving Heavenly Father and that He is working to gather us together before the Savior’s return.