Boxing coaches laud GBA for coaching course

Accra, Oct. 13, GNA - Boxing coaches attending the one month preliminary and intermediate course organised by the Ghana Boxing Association (GBA) to enhance their training abilities are full of praise for the organisers.

Barring their minds to GNA Sports on the course, most of the participants believed they would benefit immensely from the programme and produce better boxers to resurrect the dwindling fortunes of the sport in the country.

They praised the depth of technical knowledge being exhibited by Mr Peter Assandoh, Technical Director of the GBA who is the technical resource person of the Course.

Thunder Aryeh, a former Commonwealth featherweight and super featherweight champion who is one of the coaches on the Course said the Course was exposing their weaknesses, which if corrected would enable them "to turn out better baked combatants to redeem the falling standard."

Thunder, who is the chief coach of Akwamu Boxing Gym based at Atimpoku in the Eastern Region suggested that the National Sports Council (NSC) and Ghana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) collaborated to employ some of the coaches attending the Course.

He said some of them could be posted to the regions to unearth and groom talents in the national effort to resurrect the sport.

On his part, Joe Nelson, proprietor of Sagacious Boxing Club and younger brother of Professor Barimah Azumah Nelson, World Boxing Council Hall of Fame inductee said the course had reminded him things he learnt when he attended a coaching course in Spain.

He said because of the great importance he attached to the course, he had compelled his assistant also to attend and believed it would mark a new beginning for the Sagacious Gym in particular and Ghana boxing in general.

Joe Nelson said hitherto, some of the new trainers knew next to nothing about boxing and all they did was to confuse the boys and praised the "GBA initiative to train the trainers so that they would produce quality boxers."

Peter Ako Peterson of the Panix Boxing Club said he was greatly enthused as he had so far learnt many new thing that would help him in his profession as a boxing coach.

"After the Course, I am sure I can produce boxers of higher quality and it will help Ghana to go higher in international competitions."

Fatai Issifu, an assistant coach at the Believers Gym said, "the GBA has now woken up from its slumber and hoped the course was the beginning of greater managerial initiatives the boxing association would take."

Fit Square Gym's representative on the Course, Quaye Lartey advised the GABA to mend fences with the GBA and join hands with them to organise many such courses in the interest of Ghana boxing.