Former Olympian and national boxing coach, Isaac Ikhuoria, has described the scarcity of training equipment for boxers across the country as worrisome.
Ikhuoria made the remarks in an interview on Wednesday in Lagos.
The 1972 Munich Olympics bronze medalist in the middleweight category said the problem has affected proper nurturing of budding boxing talents.
“Hardly do you see modern training equipment in our stadiums; even the outdated ones we have are in deplorable state, this doesn’t make it easy for boxers to focus.
“Most of the time, these boxers improvise and because they are not experts, you cannot rule out accidents during training.
“So, honestly, it’s hard for modern-day boxers to thrive,’’ Ikhuoria said.
According to him, most talents get discouraged at the end of the day.
He added that the situation was beyond the control of coaches and should not be blamed.
The coach, who was at the helm when the country excelled at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, urged stakeholders to close ranks and revive the sport.
“I am aware that AIBA recently organised a coaching seminar; that’s a good step in the right direction, a coach can only give what he has.
“Boxers too need the right equipment to train with and they also need the tutelage of a seasoned coach,’’ Ikhuoria said.
NAN