The
All African Boxing Board of Control (AABBC) and Alpha Male Sports Entertainment
on Saturday 5 August 2017 hosted the first ranking bouts in The Gambia.
The
four-nation competition brought together boxers from The Gambia, Senegal, Mali
and Guinea Conakry at the Alpha male boxing academy next to Duplex.
The
fights have led to the championship for the All African Championship belts to
be held on 11 November 2017 at the Coco Ocean Hotel in The Gambia.
Michael
Emad Bahsoon, founder of Alpha Male Boxing Sport Academy, described the bouts
as presenting a very interesting time for African boxing, saying they hope
boxers will continue to show their dedication to the All African Boxing Board
of Control and also to the All African Championship.
He
said they hope to attract all West African countries to the championship.
He
explained that there was no ranking for boxers in West Africa prior to the
bouts, which is why they had to have the fight in order to have them ranked.
“We
want the competition to be an iconic belt for Africa and Africans as well as a
promotion for African boxing,” he said, adding that hosting the competition has
been challenging because the transition from amateur boxing to professional is
very difficult.
“We
have created a platform for boxers to step into and it is their duty to make
the bouts sustainable,” he went on, saying they plan to stage the ranking bouts
every 6 weeks.
According
to him, Africa has something to offer, but urged Gambian boxers to show
dedication and sacrifice as “in boxing no one will give it to you for free”,
saying the bouts being hosted by The Gambia have presented an opportunity for
other countries to host them after the November competition.
“We
want to work very closely with the Gambia Boxing Federation and all other West
African boxing federations,” he stated, saying it is important to have rankings
for our West African boxers.
Mr
Bahsoon, who founded the competition, said he did so because he wants to see
boxing and sport develop in Africa and represented in the international stage
in very high level.
Abdoulie
Jallow, secretary general of the Gambia Boxing Federation, said the competition
will advance not only Gambian boxing but also West African boxing.
He
described the competition as an opportunity for West Africa to produce
world-class boxers.
Amadou
Sowe Gueye, Team leader for the Senegalese squad, said the more boxers compete
the better they develop and therefore thanked the organisers.
Amadou
Tanteh Jallow, national coach of Guinea boxing team, described the initiative
as very good, saying every boxer wants to develop hence it is important to
promote them.
