Accra, Feb. 5, GNA - The Greater Accra Amateur Boxing Association (GAABA) League will commence on Friday, February 16 at the Prisons Canteen in Accra.

The event, the first of its kind in the history of amateur boxing in the country will involve 108 boxers from 20 gyms in the Greater Accra Region.

Mr. Gideon Quartey, Vice-Chairman of GAABA who announced this at a press briefing on Monday, said that the necessary arrangements have been made for the beginning of the championship which is expected to save the image of the sport.

He said that the League is expected to serve as a prominent source for the selection of the Region's representatives into the national Amateur boxing team, the Black Bombers.

The GAABA Vice Chairman who outlined the programme said about 699 bouts will be fought during the championships, which runs till the end of the year.

As a means of motivating the boxers, the Association plans to introduce regular allowances as well as registration for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) for the participants.

Mr. Quartey said that the championship will be based on the rules of the International Association of Amateur Boxing with each bout scheduled for four rounds of two minutes each. He disclosed that as a means of creating awareness of the sport, there will be changes in the venues with Ada, Dodowa and Amasaman as alternative bases.

The Vice Chairman has therefore appealed to corporate organizations to support the project, which is being financed from the contributions of executives of the Association. Asare Ofori, Assistant trainer of the Black Bombers lauded the idea for the league and called for similar programmes in all the Regions to unearth talents for the national team.