By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
The Secretary General of the Sierra Leone Boxing Association, Alhaji Komba has said they are training Sierra Leonean boxers to be more competitive in future tournaments. Komba said they want Sierra Leonean boxers to be competitors, rather than just participants as it has been the norm in the history of boxing in the country.
“We want to prepare our boxers to compete and not just participate,” Komba said
The boxing association is currently preparing to host a championship for both local and international boxers at the national stadium. The championship which is scheduled to be held on the 26th of April has already attracted huge interest within the boxing community.
The head coach of the national boxing team, Foday Conteh, told Politico that more people want to be part of the sport now because of the momentum the competition has generated.
“We have up to 70 fighters from different categories, including kids who are now coming to the gym to train,” Conteh said.
For athletes this competition also means a lot to them. The last time the boxing association organized a championship this big was in 2018. A year on there is still fresh appetite from most of these young people to participate.
Brian Davies is one of the many fighters who have been training rigorously; he said he is doing his best to be picked for the fights.
“I have been training for over a year now. I will continue to train and give my best so I will be picked,” Davies said.
The championship which has been dubbed ‘Boxfest’ will have six fights with the main fight of the night featuring Canadian based Sierra Leone boxer Deedra Chestnut and home-based Zainab Keita.
Six fighters from different weight divisions have intensified trainings.
“We have reduced the routine of heavy physical training. We gradually want to shape them to fitness ahead of the fights next week,” Coach Conteh said.
The boxing gym was recently renovated by the association and training gears were bought. This has improved the mood of the sport and its participants.
The improvements also come at a time when the country has two professional boxing coaches from Cuba. The association say they are hoping to tap on their experiences to train and guide Sierra Leone for future competitions.
“These coaches are here on a one year contract. Right now they are training our team for the Olympics and the All Africa Games,” Komba said.
Competitions like these are extremely expensive, but the association say having them regularly is good to assess the competitiveness of their boxers and their own success as an association.
Boxing is one of the most active combat sports in Sierra Leone. But like every other sport, it is still in the shadow of football. However there are signs that this latest drive will give the sport the much needed publicity and attention.
Le100 million up for grab for Independence Day trophy
By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
The Independence Day trophy is set to start today at the National Stadium where four teams will be playing for a trophy and a Le100 million-prize money. Organizers say the competition is a way of uniting the country through football during the independence celebrations.
Sierra Leone will mark its 58 Independence anniversary on April 27, the day it regained self-rule from Britain.
The group organizing this football competition is the Independence Family, which is made up of former players, managers and other football stakeholders. This is the maiden edition of the competition, and the organisers want it to be an annual event.
“We found out that we don’t have any sporting activity to mark the Independence, so we thought it fit that having a traditional gala every year will be good to bring everyone together,” said Junior Bio, one of the organizers.
Bio is a former footballer and a leading member of the organizing committee of this year’s event.
The four teams who will participate in this two days football gala are Kamboi Eagles, FC Kallon, East End Lions and Mighty Blackpool.
This competition comes just in time for the resumption of the second phase of the Sierra Leone Premier League. A number of teams are planning to use the competition as a spring board for their final preparations for the national league. This is a sign that the teams are taking the competition very seriously.
The Team Manager for Kamboi Eagles, Ali El Ali aka Aliloma said they are in town to win the trophy and set the tone for their performance in the second phase of the Premier League.
“We want to win this trophy and send a message to all the teams for the second leg. Once we win this competition we will push on and win the premier league,” Aliloma said.
Kamboi Eagles are facing FC Kallon in the opening fixture Thursday afternoon. A win could see the Eagles face East End Lions or Mighty Blackpool in the finals on April 27th, Independence Day.
FC Kallon played East End Tigers in a friendly last weekend, a match that has been regarded by many as a double preparation for the Independence Day trophy and the Sierra Leone Premier League.
There have however been questions surrounding the invitation of just four teams and the criteria for selecting the teams. Organizers explain that three of the teams have the largest following in the Western Area and they needed a team from the regions to participate.
“We took into consideration the stature of FC Kallon, Lions and Blackpool and decided that we need a team from the region to balance the competition. We made a ballot and Kenema were fortunate,” explained Bio.
The Independence Day trophy is the first silverware of the season. This competition will not just be about celebrating the Independence, it will also be about bragging right and a dress rehearsal for what is about to come in the second leg of the Sierra Leone Premier League.
(c) 2019 Politico Online
