Boxing league will not produce world-beaters - Ike

Accra, Dec 30, GNA - Ike Bazooka Quartey, Former World Boxing Authority (WBA) welterweight champion has stated that the novel Mortein Boxing League, which is being organized under the auspices of the Ghana Boxing Association and Metro T.V. would not help the nation produce world-beaters as the organizers are anticipating.

In an interview with the GNA Sports, Ike Quartey, said he does not see any potential world champion among the boxers in the fights he had watched so far, as they appear amateurish and in a rush to fight for money.


"If we were all rushed through the ranks to fight for money, we would not have reached the heights we attained.


"For a boxer to be a world-beater, the person would have to go through the full drill where you fight for a number of years as an amateur, through the Black Bombers, go to All Africa Games, the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics to gain the needed experience before turning professional.


"Take a look at somebody like Azumah Nelson, who before turning professional, fought a number of years as an amateur, went to the World Military Games, All African Games, Commonwealth Games and the Olympics before turning professional."

He said it was clear when Azumah turned professional that it would not take him a long time to become a world champion based on the experience he had garnered from his years as an amateur. "All the big names in boxing all over the world pass through a similar drill, which at the end, sieves the good boxers from the bad ones."


Ike said the Mortein League has shortened the process of grooming and would in the long run destroy boxing as Ghana would always send half-baked boxers to the world arena and they would always be defeated by their much more experienced opponents.


The former world champion said to arrest this situation he would soon start a boxing academy in line with the Fayernood Fetteh Soccer Academy where the fighters would be given thorough training in the act to enable them to compete with the best in the world.