Accra, April 5, GNA - Mr Gideon Quartey, Vice Chairman of the Greater Accra Amateur Boxing Association (GAABA) has donated 11 trophies to the Association to be competed for in the novelty quarterly championship, which commences at the Korle Gonno Beach Resort from April 19 to 21.

Speaking to the GNA Sports, Mr Quartey said his gesture was aimed at reenergising amateur boxing in the Greater Accra Region as a first step to improving the standard of the sport at the national level. The trophies, worth five million cedis, will be kept by respective winners in all weight divisions and returned a fortnight for the next competition, which will be three months from the previous one.

The Vice Chairman, who is also the proprietor of Dade Boxing Gym at Labone in Accra and a member of the Tamale Boxing Club said in addition to the trophies, there would be little cash rewards, souvenirs and some beverages for both finalists in each weight category.

He said he had received assurances from the management of all boxing gymnasia in Accra about their preparedness to participate in the tournament and advised the boxers to train very hard so as to exhibit good forms and give the championship a distinct characteristic. Dilating on the state of the sport in the country, Mr Quartey said the bad method of selection of boxers into the national team was the main cause of the poor results the Bombers had achieved over the years, adding that a national team should only be formed after a series of championships.

He also blamed the poor form of the team on the technical incompetence of the trainers and emphasised that there was a big difference between the mode of training amateur boxers and the professionals.

The Vice Chairman also blamed some of the boxers for not being disciplined as they do not take instructions and comport themselves well enough at training sessions.

Slicing some of the blame to the administrators, he said there was the need for the national and regional associations to strive to improve upon the facilities and equipment and the level of motivation for the boxers in order to induce premium performance from them. Mr Quartey asked members of the Ghana Amateur Boxing Association to visit his gym and witness for themselves the state of the art facilities that he had invested in, as part of his determination to raise the standard of the sport.

He called on corporate Ghana to come to the aid of the sport by sponsoring competitions and investing in facilities and equipment as boxing had the capacity to engrave Ghana's name in gold on the world sporting map.