Accra, Aug 13 - GNA - Ofori Ansah, head coach of the Black Bombers, the national amateur boxing team said his team will be the one to beat when the boxing segment of the All African Games gets underway in the Nigerian capital of Abuja in October.
He said his optimism hinges on the training regiment of the team and the ability of the boys to grasp what they are taught promptly, coupled with their determination to distinguish themselves at the Games and chart a new course in their careers.
The coach said as he and his assistants, Napoleon Abbey and WO 1 Ebenezer Akuetteh Rtd. are preparing the team for a total assault on the medals at stake, they are tackling the physical conditioning and boxing skills of the boys, as well as the psychological demands of the sport as each aspect complements the other to attain success.
"The boys must also be psychologically prepared because if their mentality is not steered toward winning they cannot win fights even if they are very strong and know how to fight very well," he said. Coach Ansah said the boxers are patriots whose only desire is to win laurels for the country and are therefore not complaining about anything, adding that Mr. Eddie Duplan, chairman of the Ghana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) has been doing all he can to satisfy the needs of the boys.
He said the team will go into close camping from August 18 to concentrate on correcting the few flaws that have been detected in the boxers' styles and tactics following their participation in tournaments in Benin, Cameroon and Gabon.
The coach said the diet of the boxers will be closely monitored while on residential camping so that there will be no weight problems before the competition starts.
"We take everything into consideration, including the height, the reach and age of the boxer before we decide on which weight category he fights in because our team is a very young one and the boys are still growing. It is important we guide them into divisions in which they will have advantages without struggling to make the weight," coach Ansah said.
The national coach said plans are ongoing to get the team to undertake a training tour of either West of Southern Africa as a final tune up fro the Games.
