Enugu State House of Assembly on Friday pledged to produce boxers that will win medals for Nigeria at International Championships adding that they are ready to invest in other laurel producing sports in the country.
The Speaker of Enugu House Assembly, Chief Edward Ubosi, made the comment at the unveiling of trophies for champions in different categories of the State Boxing Talent Hunt final.
Chief Ubosi said that the grand finale of the boxing talent hunt will be staged on the first week of October.
“Football have seems to have been given al attention hence the need to diversify to other sports. We are not only ambassadors of football but other sports as well. So that is why we want to the youth street fighters into something meaningful that will earn them a living. Now that we have finished the first phase and the second phase is almost in conclusion, we are targeting the grand finale to commence on the first week of the October,’’ he said.
He promised to train the boys that perform very well in the competition as well in their academics pursuit.
The ALGON chairman in Enugu, Prince Cornelius Nnaji said that all the chairmen of the 17 Local Giovernment Areas of the state are solidly behind the speakers’ project.
Rex Arum who is chairman of Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Enugu State Council, commended the speakers for sponsoring the grassroots boxing talent which seems to be dying in the state.
He recalled that Nigeria used to produce acclaimed boxers and wondered why the interest in the sports is no longer there.
In his contribution, Ikechukwu Okoronkwo, noted that he was a product of grassroots boxing talent hunt.
“I was discovered in Abakaliki during my secondary school days and I never know that I will one day become a world champion,’’ he said.
