MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY!
▪️Captain Eyassu will have to jump out of the sinking ship with his jacket to save his life
▪️ Most of the boxers in Guinea are already in the medal bracket without throwing a punch
Captain Eyassu may not have sounded the alarm but it’s obvious the ship is sinking as passengers have already started screaming for emergency support.
The waves are so strong that it will be a miracle if the ship survives.
International Boxing Association (IBA) is the only saviour with their sophisticated equipment but the writing is already on the wall.
What a farce in Guinea! That only 46 boxers – 37 men and 9 women – from nine countries out of the 54-members of AFBC are taking part in the Africa Youth Boxing Championships in Guinea is an open vote of no-confidence in the beleaguered Africa Boxing Confederation (AFBC) office headed by Ethiopian businessman Eyassu Berhanu.
In fact if Eyassu is wise he should jump out of the sinking ship into the deep sea with his jacket to save his dear life and of course embarrassment.
Africa has spoken in Guinea, and the die is cast.
Even the ongoing R&J course in Guinea, useful as it is, will probably not pass muster given the few participants in the Africa Youth Championships. Whether the IBA will certify the course remains to be seen.
Normally, the R&Js should referee a minimum of five bouts, and judges 10 in order to be assessed.
Interestingly, AFBC has not released the official list of participating countries and the number of boxers per country as it’s usually the case in any international tournament. The info I have shared on the number of participants is on social media.
AFBC R&J Committee chairman Godavarisingh Rajiv Rajcoomar is usually very cooperative on releasing such info but this time around Raj, as we call him, is strangely not responding to messages or answering calls to share vital stats.
Are they ashamed and embarrassed of the spoonful number of participants in Guinea? Maybe or maybe not. It’s anybody’s guess.
The only official info shared is the opening bouts today from 6pm East African time.
Fourteen male boxers from eight countries will be in action in the 54kg, 63.5kg, 67kg and 75 kg. The eight countries are Ethiopia, Guinea, Ghana, South Africa, Libya, Tunisia, Seychelles and Uganda.
The organisers have however not stated whether today’s bouts are quarter-finals, semi-finals or finals.
Given the low entry, it’s likely most of the boxers in Guinea are already in the medal bracket.
With only nine female boxers, it will be unprocedural if they receive medals without throwing a punch.
IBA rules state a boxer cannot receive a medal if he/she has not fought in at least one bout.
That’s the shameful scenario in Guinea that even my friend Raj is not ready to discuss it.
In contrast, the ASBC Asian Youth Boxing Championships currently ongoing in Colombo, Sri Lanka, is professionally managed.
Their website has daily updates on the tournament and Livestream to boot. They also have instagram updates.
The Asian Youth Boxing Championships has attracted 232 boxers from 23 countries.
