Letter from Moshi, the land of Kilimanjaro and Mkomazi August 06, 2019,
According to history, boxing is known for years as a sport of underprivileged who want to change their lives through the sport although it a long shot to many of them. On the way to achieve the goal, a boxer need a good TEAM that includes good trainer, capable manager, professional matchmaker and a responsible promoter who can place himself/herself in the boxer’s place. All of these need money. I can understand that it’s a mission as well as major & continued investment to finance talented girls & boys who would be champions someday.
With our big help, if they can change their destinies and manage to shack-off their poverty, we must be supportive of their talents as their benefactors. In boxing, the team that support the boxer must have passion and patience for the sport itself, which is also the key factor to boxers who have the ambition to be champions.
I hope you have all heard of the news that recently two boxers died after their bouts? One of them was from Russian, at the age of 28, he didn’t give up although his trainer urged him to stop fighting as he had received too many heavy punch and lost consciousness. Unfortunately, he died soon after the bout.
Just two days later, another boxer from Italy at the age of 48 years, died also. It’s like an earthquake in the boxing field because two lives lost in one week. It makes me think seriously about the sport of boxing. Boxers are the CORE of the sport and they need our constant focus. Through our various roles in boxing, what can we do to protect boxers in order to reduce such tragedies?
The roles such as trainer, referee, local commission, sponsor, matchmaker and anyone involved should be ONE, to protect the man and the girl in the ring. It is known to all that boxing is the sport for the braves, so bravery and consistence is encouraged all the time.
However, nothing is more important than the “LIFE”. I think boxers and their benefits deserve most protection and attention. Because they fight for the “SPORT” itself and their own “LIVES” .
They call it Africa! We call it Home!
Onesmo Ngowi
PRESIDENT
IBF/AFRICA