28th May, 2012
Due to the poor state of the Etete, Benin camp of the Nigerian boxing team, Boxing Coach, Joe Mensah, has predicted that Nigerian boxers who will feature at the London 2012 Olympics, may not return to the country with any medal.
Mensah, who spoke with P.M.Sports at the weekend at the 31st Monthly Saturday Boxing Show at Rowe Park, Lagos said that sports administrators need to act fast to savage the country’s chances of winning medals in boxing at the games.
“We must not beat about the bush on this issue. I am not sure we will come back with anything if nothing is done to upgrade the facilities and equipment that I saw at the Etete camp when I was there,” said Mensah.
The respected coach added : “I want to state it categorically that my experience at the Etete Camp was based on what we had upstairs. The necessary facilities and equipment that the boxers need for training like gloves and headgear were not available”.
However, the former Lagos State Boxing Coach was full of praises for coaches at the camp, saying that they are doing their best despite poor training facilities.
“I want to congratulate the coaches that are handling these boxers because they are really trying their best in the camp. Nigeria would not have recorded any success in the sport if these coaches are not working hard.
“There is no way a boxer who is training under the bridge can record great success in boxing. The whole country does not even have a single boxing gym that it can call its own. It is what we plant that we will reap at the Olympics. We cannot reap if we don’t plant,” declared Mensah.
—Bimbo Ajayi