NAN-S-11
Boxing
By Babatunde Ogunrinde
Lagos, Feb. 22, 2017 (NAN) Some ex-national boxing champions on Wednesday urged the Nigeria Boxing Federation to organise more National Open Boxing Championships.
They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on the sidelines of the day three of the ongoing national championships in Lagos that it would help to keep boxers in form.
We Akpotche, a seven-time national champion, told NAN that such encouragement was important to make upcoming boxers believe more in the sport.
“Sincerely, I am impressed with what I have seen so far from the boxers but more of these championships will do a lot to develop boxers properly.
“They will have a sense of belonging and dedicate themselves to the sport and become great boxers they want to be,’’ Akpotche said.
Edith Agu-Ogoke a Commonwealth Games gold medalist, who is currently developing boxers, said that the future was certain if more opportunities were given to the young boxers.
“Young boxers need encouragement like the open championships, if they are well motivated with competitions they will emerge great boxers’’, Agu-Ogoke said.
Emeka Osai, also a former national champion told NAN that the future of Nigerian boxers was in developing and giving the younger ones the opportunity to exhibit their skills on the ring
Osai commended the leadership of the NBF and urged it to organise more events (NAN).
BAO/GOM/PDE
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(Editing by Gregory Mmaduakolam/Peter Ejiofor)