‘Ding-Dong’ on Monday- The New Normal
Starting from scratch is the way to keep things in motion or gets the ball rolling in the first place.
It’s the only way to win the dingdong battle in the end.
At times we plan too far ahead, learning the hard way along the way, only to lose out when time is up.
It is important therefore that we must continue to learn from history otherwise we are doomed to repeat it.
In sports, coaches want their teams/players to punch above their weight which means meet or supersede expectations.
The Government, through the Fijian National Sporting Commission and the Fiji Sports Council has led the way by promoting sports tourism and laying the infrastructure to match it.
The onus is on sporting bodies to make it work right from the start. The COVID -19 pandemic has taught us to work on the fundamentals, getting the basics right, if we are to survive in the ‘new normal.’
It is therefore pleasing that the Fiji Amateur Boxing Association is among the 14 sports given the green light by the Fijian National Sporting Commission to organise competitions after satisfying the Safe Sports protocols.
The association’s first competition is now scheduled for every Monday beginning with the East vs West toe-to-toe on July 20.
This is a step in the right direction, a right way to start from the sport.
These are what happened in the past and why boxing was so famous and exciting to watch with boxers starting off as amateurs before they turned professionals.
This was why the PWD Canteen in Walu Bay, Suva, now the Captain Stan Brown Boxing Gym, was always a place to go on Monday afternoons as upcoming boxers learned the art and craft.
They later became famous in the region, Commonwealth and the world.
Notable to mention are Alipate Korovou who won the Commonwealth middleweight title in Suva in 1978 beating Monty Betham and Sakaraia Ve who attempted twice but lost to win the Commonwealth welterweight title to Clyde Gray in Fiji in 1978 and once against Colin Jones at Wembley Arena, London in 1982.
FABA board member Martin Burrows said:
“It has been a long time coming for the boxers and we’ve to follow all health and safety protocols. Most of the boxers trained in their villages and we often call to check on their progress.”
This is the way forward if boxing is to thrive and prosper.