GBA moves to revive West African Boxing Union

Accra, July 21, GNA - Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) will host the first Congress of the West African Boxing Union (WABU) in September or early October to find ways of reviving the sports in West Africa. This was decided after a meeting between Mr Moses Foh-Amoaning, Acting Chairman of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) and Mr Rashin Gerson, his Ivorian counterpart in Abidjan on ways to rejuvenate boxing in the West Africa sub-region.

Minutes of the meeting made available to GNA Sports by the Acting Chairman of the GBA said the two parties conferred on ways to set up a planning committee immediately to plan activities of the congress. It said the congress, expected to be attended by respective association's chairmen; secretaries, an additional member of an association, a ring official, a boxing promoter, a trainer, a promoter, a manager and an ex-boxer would ponder on ways to improve the standard of boxing in the sub-region.

The congress, which would then be an annual programme, would be rotated among all the eight member countries.

Among proposals sent to the meeting by the GBA, was for the establishment of a permanent WABU secretariat, which is to be sited in Ghana because of its central location.

On the constitution for the association, the meeting resolved that GBA should send their draft copy to all member countries for study and comments before the congress.

The meeting deliberated on the registration and rating of boxers and it was decided that national associations should compile a dossier of boxers, managers, trainers, promoters, matchmakers and ring officials.

For ratings, it was suggested that a rating committee be set up with the mandate to meet every three months to review the ratings which would be based on the profile and fight record of each boxer.

In the sector of WABU Championships, the meeting decided that fights should be hosted by a bid country, whilst the boxers involved would be decided by the respective national associations based on their ratings.

Finally it was decided that Cote D'Ivoire acts as the co-ordinator for the French-speaking members namely Togo, Burkina Faso and Benin. Also present at the meeting were Barry Desire, Co-ordinator of boxing at the Cote D'Ivoire Sports Ministry and Arthure Bour, Organiser, Cote D'Ivoire Boxing Federation.