Quality Competition Can Only Help Boxers

Team Fiji Boxing can only improve and poses a real challenge to other countries competing at the 2023 Pacific Games with more quality international competitions said Section Manager Thomas Johansen.

Fiji Amateur Boxing Association (FABA) will be hoping to take a squad of at least 10 athletes that hopefully includes three females.

"FABA will have 3 trials," said Thomas.

"The first trial was in February with the next two trials scheduled for June and August with the final Team list for the Pacific Games to be submitted to FASANOC in the first week of September."

Good news for Team Fiji Boxing, national coach Cam Todd, a former New Zealand national coach and International Boxing Association (IBA) three-star coach and instructor who is expected to arrive in the country mid-June.

"Fiji National Sports Commission approval has come through for coach Todd's salary and he is expected to be in the country next month to commence his coaching contract with FABA that will run till next year's Paris Olympic Games.

"FABA is excited with this development where our local coaches and boxers will benefit immensely from coach Todd’s experience and boxing knowledge," Thomas said.

Thomas said as Coach Todd would spend more time in the country, organising high quality competition as a priority.

"Sending boxers to international competitions provides quality competition for our elite boxers which is something we are lacking here locally.

"Furthermore, hosting international competitions will also attract the much needed quality competition for our boxers," he said.

"Lack of quality sparring partners and lack of funds is always a challenge for the sport.

"We are grateful to the IBA for approving our application to sponsor a small team who are currently in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

"Two of our elite boxers Jone Davule (fighting at 57kgs) & Mika Ravalaca (fighting at 54kgs) traveled to Tashkent along with Coach Todd to compete at the IBA Men's World Boxing Championships (April 30-May 14).

Thomas said the competition in Tashkent was not an Olympic qualifier, however it is a ranking event for elite boxers.

"The winners also walk away with lucrative cash prizes (Gold US$200k, Silver US100K & Bronze US$50k) with 100% of prize money going to the boxer and not the federation," he said.

Fighting in the 54-57kg category, MikaeleRavalaca lost to Samuel Heredia Carmona (Spain) while Jone Davule won his first bout against LuckmoreKamoto (Zimbabwe) in the 57-60kg category.

Davule lost to Mohammad Abu-Jajeh (Jordan) in the last round of 16 by points.

He said they were also preparing a squad of at least 10 Youth/Junior (male & female) boxers for this month's IBA Oceania Youth Championship in Apia, Samoa (22-26 May).

"We hope to receive further funding support from IBA for this event as we have a good bunch of both male & female junior boxers with bright futures in the sport," Thomas said.                  

Cam is one of the leading boxing coaches in New Zealand; his coaching career has spanned over thirty years and seen him train some of NZ’s pre-eminent amateur fighters. After becoming the youngest qualified coach in the country at the tender age of 17, he trained his first NZ champion one year later.

Since then, he’s produced more than 70 national champions, numerous Oceania champions, three Olympians including 5th-placed Alexis Pritchard and Bronze Medalist David Tua.

The 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands will serve as direct qualification for boxing from the region to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

This has been made possible through the continuous lobbying to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) by the Fiji Amateur Boxing Association (FABA). – please verify. Don’t think this is right. If it is, please quote Manasa.

Previously, the boxers from the Pacific faced a tougher route to the Olympics having to participate in the Asian qualifiers.

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Pic: www.iba.sport