Africa-Press – Kenya. The national boxing team, Hit Squad, have been handed more time to sharpen their claws ahead of major competitions after the International Boxing Association (IBA) set new dates for both the Africa Boxing Championships and the World Women’s Boxing Championships.
Speaking yesterday, Hit Squad head coach, Benjamin Musa, said the continental showpiece has been pushed back to March from January while the women’s global event would now take place in May.
“We are not experiencing any pressure to summon our boxers to camp given the dates have now been changed,” said Musa.
“That gives us more time to constitute the national team and train adequately for the forthcoming events,” said Musa.
The Boxing Federation of Kenya (BFK) said last week it would hold a meeting soon to discuss the best criterion to employ in national team selection after some household names gave the second edition of the national trials a wide berth.
“We had hoped to identify a provisional squad at the conclusion of the second edition of President Jamal in Kisumu. However, the absence of some teams such as the Kenya Defence Forces threw all our plans into disarray,” lamented Musa.
“That being the case, we can’t guarantee all those who won their weights an automatic place in the Hit Squad because they may not necessarily be the best.
Musa also said they may be forced to forego selection in some divisions if they don’t find the right pugilists to fly the country’s flag at the forthcoming games.
“There is a dearth of talent in some of the divisions. The boxers who have been competing in those weight categories have not given us a good reason to include them in the provisional squad.
“They are technically and tactically inferior yet we would like to select individuals who are capable of bringing our country the glory it deserves,” said Musa.
“It, therefore, means we have to find new ways of selecting the team before the events. IBA’s move to postpone the tournaments has relieved us of some pressure,” he added.
Musa said the local boxing governing body would meet once President Jamal arrives back in the country from an official trip.
Meanwhile, BFK hopes to roll out its programs afresh in the new year once things return to normality.
Coach Musa said they would implement the traditional approach of sieving players starting from the grassroots all the way to the national team.
“We have 19 branches at the county level and we are hoping to expand our horizons for efficiency.
“The selection process will begin at the county all the way to the national level. Once the counties identify their representatives, we shall hold a national novices tournament whose winners and runners-up will be given a chance to prove their mettle at the intermediate competition and eventually Kenya Open boxing championships.
“It is from the open championship that we shall constitute a provisional national team squad,” said Musa.
For More News And Analysis About Kenya Follow Africa-Press
