Babafemi Challenges Nigeria Boxing Federation On Coaches List.

Head coach of the Lagos State Amateur Boxing Association,Femi Babafemi, has challenged the Secretary General of the Nigeria Boxing Federation Patrick Uwagbele, over the list of coaches invited to camp ahead of the All African Games in Maputo, Mozambique.

Babafemi, whose seven pugilists out of eight boxers that qualified for the final of Garden City Games won Gold medals, said it was disheartening that Uwagbele excluded his name from the coaches that are expected to be in camp because he deserve to be invited because he had surpassed the criteria NBF used to invite boxing coaches to
camp.

According to him, a coach with highest number of champions at a National Sports Festival stand a chance to be invited to the national camp to assist the NBF Chief coach ahead of any international tourney.

He wondered why the NBF Secretary General invited Julius Kodia of Edo State and Roland Omoruyi of Bayelsa State despite their inability to produce a champion at the Garden City Games, adding that the Uwagbele's action is potent enough to demoralise boxing coaches from giving their best in the area of developmental programmes.

He believed that there must be continuation in the scheme of NBF coaches because the performance of the coaches at any National Sports Festival still stand as a criteria for selecting coaches as well as the pugilists who excel at the Games.

He said similar scheme paved the way for former Head coach of the Lagos State Amateur Boxing Association, Joe Mensah, Isaac Ikhouria who were invited to the national camp to assist the NBF Head coach, adding that there is need to call Uwagbele's to order in order to produce better boxers ahead of international competitions.