•Musa said they would seek support in purchasing boxing rings.
•Drawing parallel to the feat of Kenyan-Bahrain women's 3000m steeplechase sensation Winfred Yavi, Musa said Kenya must be doing things the wrong way and there is a need to change how we approach preparations.
Image: HANDOUT
Kenya has established rigorous measures to revamp the dwindling fortunes of boxing and help reclaim its lost glory.
In an exclusive interview on Wednesday, Hit Squad head coach Benjamin Musa promised a new era for the local boxing terrain, saying a blueprint has been adopted to turn around the nation's fortunes.
Part of the plan is to overhaul the national team and introduce fresh talent capable of steering the nation to unprecedented heights.
"The Africa Boxing Championships is around the corner and we want to start positively by bagging titles and honours. We have sat down and drawn up a plan to steer us to new heights
“For a long time, we have lacked structures to maintain a pool of talent we can turn to once our boxers hang their gloves. We are doing things differently now. We have begun identifying budding talent early enough for necessary exposure," Musa remarked.
“We have the third leg of the national boxing league starting in Embu this week and we hope to spot a set of new talent ahead of the continental showpiece," he added.
Musa said they plan to meet with the new Sports Cabinet secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to discuss the way forward.
“Hopefully, we shall meet him soon and discuss the pertinent issues that should be addressed. Government support is important for us to succeed with our new plan. We need enough funds to attend as many tournaments as possible. This is the only way we can give our boxers exposure they need to succeed," he said.
Musa said they would seek support in purchasing boxing rings. "Rings are not cheap. They cost around Sh2 million and the Boxing Federation of Kenya can't raise that kind of money because officials are forced to dig deep into their pockets to run the organisation," he said.
Drawing a parallel to the feat of Kenyan-Bahrain women's 3000m steeplechase sensation Winfred Yavi, Musa said Kenya must be doing things the wrong way and there is a need to change the approach.
“Interestingly, Yavi failed to secure a ticket in Kenya but managed to do so in Bahrain. She later won the World Championships and crowned her performance with a gold medal in Paris. I believe it is all about how we train our athletes, the kind of facilities and exposure," Musa said.
“We need to keep in touch with the rest of the world and remain in tandem with the science they are using because boxing has evolved a lot. We must also keep our boxers in camp for longer periods.
"The trend in the country has been to summon boxers to camp a few days before tournaments due to lack of funds. We can't expect to succeed much under such circumstances. Our friends in other countries have always commended us for rising above such conditions to record decent performances," he said.