Technical deficiencies at amateur level the bane of boxing

Accra, Jan 13, GNA - The present downward spiral in the fortunes of Ghana boxing at the professional front has been attributed to the lack of sound technical upbringing at the amateur level.

Speaking in an interview with the GNA Sports, Mr Moses Foh-Amoaning, the Acting Chairman of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) said this situation has arrived because the right people with the technical know how have been pushed to the background.

Mr Foh-Amoaning said the present situation is not surprising since the whole amateur establishment has no certified trainer to handle the boxers at the most important fundamentals level to put them on a sound footing.

"This has resulted in a lack of ring generalship that gives boxers the cutting edge that is needed to separate the real boxer from the bunch".

"Presently what we have are ordinary boxers with a few brilliant ones who are showing some level of maturity because of the hard work of some individual good technical hands handling them".

He said until a new policy direction is adopted to put the right people in the helm of affairs to oversee the whole direction of amateur boxing on the national level, it means that only few boxers with the right approach would be produced.

Mr Foh-Amoaning said since the exit of trainers of the likes of Floyd Klutei Robinson and others who oversaw the development of boxers like Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey and others, the trainer's front has not been so vibrant.

"Presently the only certified boxer trainer in the country is Mr Peter Assandoh who has been lying idle for the past ten months after returning from a course from Italy with flying colors.

He said the next in the plans of the GBA is to organise periodic training seminars and courses for the coaches to keep them abreast with the modern trends of the sport in order to give the young boxers the right guidance right from the base.