Ex-Anambra coach, Nwokocha wants revival of boxing in Southeast

Innocent Nwokocha, former coach of Anambra boxing team, has lamented the declining fortune of the sport in the South East.

Nwokocha, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the Chuba Ikpeazu Mimi Stadium, Onitsha, said he was hopeful that the Anambra Government, under Chukwuma Soludo, would revive the sports sector and boxing in particular.

The 67 years old coach who is popularly called “Parera Opponente”, said the Southeast was home to boxing, having produced some of the best pugilists in Nigeria and on the world stage.

He said though he was no longer working for the state, he still trained boxers who competed in various events.

According to him, “today, I think boxing is going down in the Southeast, not just in Anambra, but as a man with passion for boxing, I train boxers and three of them are doing well on GoTV”.

“I retired in 2017 as Head Coach of Anambra boxing team, but I am not tired; I want to say that the boxing department is dying; the former chairman did not give boxing attention, he did not work with us.

“I call on the new chairman of Anambra Sports Development Commission to give relief to boxing, I know Soludo is a sportsman, I believe he will support the chairman, so that we can be having competitions.”

“Southeast was centre of excellence for boxing, we have Dick Tiger, Hogan Bassey, Ngozi Ekwelum who did well for themselves and for the country,” he said.

Nwokocha said he introduced female boxing in Anambra, in spite of not being women’s sports.

He said boxing was a healthy sport which helped physical fitness, mental alertness and improved medal chances.

Nwokocha started boxing in 1974 and participated in two Olympics in Montreal, Canada in 1976, and Moscow in 1980 where he competed as a featherweight boxer but could not progress to the medal stage.

Nwokocha said he had Cuban orientation to boxing and did his coaching job in Cuban language where he derived his stage name.

“I teach boxing with the Cuban language, that is why they call me ‘Parela Opponente’ which means parry your opponent; there is ‘achuke’ which is, punch to the solar plexus or the kidney and other technical terms.

“In 1980, I was the best sports man of the year in Imo state and later I became the head coach in Anambra and I took Anambra boxing team to national competitions and won medals for the state,” he said.(NAN)