National boxing coach, Jerry Okorodudu, on Wednesday called for regular age-group competitions across the country as a way of developing the sport at the grassroots.
Okorodudu explained in Lagos that the essence was for the boxers to have suitable environment to exhibit their skills among their peers.
“There are lots of young boxers aspiring to develop careers in boxing, and they practice on their own at their various localities, even without the knowing the basic rules.
“We must go back to the drawing board and begin to identify these raw talents, who are out there waiting for such an opportunities to be identified,” he said.
The Olympian said that the passion to contribute to the growth of the sport prompted him to initiate a programme tagged, “Potential Showcasing of Boxing Talent.”
He added that this had been aimed at to identifying budding talent at the grassroots.
Okorodudu said the competition was for boxers from ages of nine to 12.
He said the programme was initiated as a way of giving back to the society. “I have been running grassroots competitions for three years now with the support of some private individuals and corporate bodies, committed to supporting boxing.
“It is an open competition but strictly for the specified age categories and the response have been encouraging. Schools and clubs bring their boxers to the competition.’’
The former Commonwealth champion urged other individuals and corporate bodies to also show their support toward boxing development through donation of kits and stationery to the participants.
20 young boxers featured in the 3rd edition of Potential Showcasing of Boxing Talents held at the National Stadium, Lagos, on December 16.
