NBF DEFENDS COACHES LIST.

The Nigeria Boxing Federation,NBF, has debunked the rumor making round that the Federation deliberately deprived the Head Coach of the Lagos State Amateur Boxing Association,Obafemi Babafemi, from taking part in the forthcoming International Olympic Committee and the Nigeria Olympic Committee solidarity coaching course.

The coaching course tagged level One training course, which will start on Saturday through next Friday at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan, has attracted 26 coaches.

Its Secretary General, Patrick Uwaegbale, who admitted that Obafemi Babafemi is a good boxing coach, said the Federation deem it necessary to spread the invitation to other affiliated states to encourage other coaches to benefit from the course which would aid the coaches to be abreast of modern techniques of the sport.

Uwaegbale, said Obafemi was not included in the list of coaches for the course on the basis of sentiment as he claimed that certain criteria deprived him from participating in the exercise despite leading Nigerian boxing team to the last Commonwealth Games in India.

The NBF Secretary said the international body has agreed to send its expatriates to tutors Nigerian boxing coaches especially on the importance of computer scoring machine and how best Nigerian pugilists could laurels at major international championships.

He explained that the Federation had procured a Computer scoring machine which had reprieved its wards from winning medals at the last Commonwealth Games, adding that Nigerian pugilists are very good but they lack basic knowledge of how to win a contest which is being determined through a computer.

He said the computer scoring machine was similar to system being used by the International Olympic Committee and the organizers of Commonwealth Games, stressing that the gesture was to redeem the image of Nigerian boxers in international tournaments.