SPORTS:Obisia Nwakpa offers steps to Boxing greatness

Former national boxing coach Obisia Nwakpa now retired from public service has provided guidelines he says are imperative for making boxing great again in the country.

“It all bothers on coaching. Right now none of those engaged as national coach has the requisite qualifications, none has train the training or experience to hold office and none of these individuals holds the passport to train up a boxer to be world class,” he told Sports Vanguard in Lagos.

The former African and Commonwealth super light-weight champion explained his idea this way. “For you to have coach who can produce world class boxers, that person must have boxed at amateur and professional levels for years. He would not only have these, such a person must have proved himself well at these levels, winning laurels for the country and during which time he would have gathered experience to pass on to aspiring boxers.” In doing this the man must have fought at levels of the major multi sports events Nigeria takes part including the All Africa Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games.” He said it is in the process of doing these the expected coach would have learnt the noble art of self defense, which parts are broken into departments namely principles, concepts and disciplines.

“My observation is that those named as national caches these days lack knowledge of the sport  and are unable to train up good boxers because they do not even spend up to five years as amateur boxers or in professional so lack the knowledge to impart on the young ones. So, for us to return to winning ways there has to be a decision by the National Sports Commission to employ people with right qualifications, especially ones with experience.” “Any man who lacks knowledge of the core boxing departments namely the disciplines with its five to seven branches, the concepts and its branches and the principles and its branches, cannot function as a coach. That’s where I think we have not done right to get the sport grow,”

Obisia has also faulted the country’s mode of preparation for games, saying no coach worth it’s salt can impact knowledge to boxers within the two or three months of camping orientation. It’s a long term task by which a coach uses a time line to work on each of the above boxing terms and techniques I have outlined, He added.