Boxing league to be mandatory launch pad into professionalism

Accra, Jan. 9 GNA - Mr Moses Foh-Amoaning, Vice Chairman of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) has said the novelty Mortein Boxing League currently being organized on a pilot basis, would soon become the mandatory launch pad for all amateur boxers before they join the professional ranks.

Mr Foh-Amoaning who was speaking in an interview with the GNA Sports in Accra, said the league which is the first of its kind in the world is part of the long term strategic cooperate plan the GBA is launching to ensure that fighters coming from the amateur ranks in addition to those who have just turned professional are kept busy. He said the initial pilot phase of the Mortein League would end soon, for the proper legal frame work to be put in place for the start of the league proper in April to ensure that every boxer who turns professional goes through the boxing league to get the necessary experience and ranking.

"After the league, fighters would be ranked and the best two in every weight category would fight for the Mortein title belt to come out with the best in each weight category.

"The boxers will then be made to fight in challenge contests to make them eligible for national title fights up to West Africa, Africa, Commonwealth and possibly world title fights".

Mr Foh-Amoaning said even though the system would be strictly adhered to it would create avenues for those extraordinary ones amongst them to skip some of the stages.

He said when this structure is well laid and everything is done systematically it would not take much time for Ghana to start churning out world-beaters.

"It therefore does not hold that the number of years one spends in the amateur ranks have anything to do with ones ability but rather the training given whilst one is at the amateur level', he said.

He added that "it would surprise you that at the moment there is only one certified boxing coach in the country and to make matters worse that person has not been employed by the Sports ministry hence everybody is doing what he wants without any technical guidance".

"Since the exit of trainers like Klutei Robertson and others, our coaching scene has not witnessed coaches of their caliber who guarded boxers like the Azumah Nelson's and Ike Quartey's".

He said "when one looks at the number of promotions organized yearly, it stands it shows that only the few ranked fighters in every weight category will get the chance to fight regularly leaving most of the over 500 registered professional boxers doing virtually nothing.

"This is the essence of the league which is for up and coming professional boxers who are not crowd pullers and get few fights to have the platform to continually harness their skills before the big break". He said it would therefore be very misplaced for anybody to say that the league would not help the nation produce world-beaters which is the initial idea behind the formation of the league".

Mr Foh-Amoaning said they have never deviated from the initial idea for the formation of the league which is not for the known one's hence there was no way of it harming boxing in the country.

"Apart from the league regularly keeping the boxers busy, it would also give boxing the needed exposure which will serve as a source of income to the GBA and the boxing clubs to ensure further development of the game in the grassroots"