A FORMER boxing administrator has supported the call to revive boxing bouts in Honiara.
Tony Dadalo, a former boxing administrator and Solomon Islands Amateur Boxing Secretary in a statement yesterday said he supported the initiative.
His call came after news that the boxing association in Honiara plans to stage boxing fights soon.
“I support the initiative by the newly established Honiara Boxing Association (HABA) to stage regular fights in Honiara.
“This is a very welcoming news for all boxing die-hard fans because it has been a very long time that fans have enjoyed watching the sport of their interest.”
He encouraged the new HABA team to push hard and organize regular tournaments in Honiara for the betterment of the sport of boxing.
“Organizing regular tournaments will boost the sport in general as boxing in the country had been dead for a long time and it has been sad that the popular gold medal earning sport in Solomon Islands has lost its popularity.”
He said, in the past, Solo Island boxers have been a force in the region. “In past international game Boxing had been one of the medal winners for the country along with weightlifting and athletes.
“However, because of the inactivity of the sport and last minute preparation, boxing has not been doing well in recent international games including this year’s Pacific Games in PNG.
“The last time Solomon Islands won gold medals in boxing is at the 1995 SP Games in Tahiti, won by the likes of Joseph Saimei, Timothy Soe and others.
“Boxing is a sport that relies heavily on fitness and maintaining of right weights like in other combating sports and weightlifting as well, and there is no other recipe to success than regular competition. The same goes to other sports for that matter.
“So the initiative by the newly established HABA to stage regular boxing bouts is commendable and a sweet news to the ears of boxing fans.”
