Boxers must stick to weight limit – Believer
Kwame Larweh
Sports News
Veteran boxing trainer and match-maker, Abdul Rasheed Williams, has called on stakeholders in the sport to be consistent with the weight limit of boxers in the country to ensure better performance on the international stage.
According to him, in the nation’s boxing history, Ghanaian boxers are accustomed to the flyweight division, which is the lowest, to the welterweight division, which is the highest.
“Ghana has a weight limit, which is welterweight downwards; our boxers, and by our stature and nomenclature, can only fit that limit in which we perform better, he told the Graphic Sports in an interview.
Reacting to the loss of super-middleweight fighter, Habib Ahmed, at the hands of Mexican Gilberto Ramirez Sanchez, last Saturday at the American Bank Centre in Corpus Christi, Texas, Williams, popularly called Believer, said it was a huge gamble his compatriots took in the US.
“In the first three rounds Habib fought well, but the guy’s heavier weight began to tell on the much smaller Habib,” he stated.
Coach Believer noted that Habib was a small supermiddleweight while his Mexican counterpart was a huge super-middleweight boxer which gave him an advantage over the Ghanaian.
Coach Believer noted that Habib was a small supermiddleweight while his Mexican counterpart was a huge super-middleweight boxer which gave him an advantage over the Ghanaian.
He admitted that Sanchez’s level of fighting was on a much higher scale than Habib, stressing that the Mexican was one of the best in his division.
While not discounting that Ghana could one day have a super-middleweight or a heavyweight world champion, the respected trainer was of the view that boxers must focus on the welterweight division and downwards which represents the true physique and stature of the fighters in the country and where the nation can boast of world titles.
He praised Ahmed for his bravado and noted that there were better days ahead of him having gained such an exposure at the behest of a great fighter like Sanchez.
“It was a good test for him whether he wins or loses, he did very well to brawl with a caliber of a boxer such as Sanchez’, Coach Believer noted.
Meanwhile, he has lauded Habib’s trainer, Kwasi Ofori Asare, for stopping the bout in the sixth round when his charge was taking too much punishment.
“It was a very good decision to save his boxer. That would brighten the chances of his boxer who may still have some ego to keep,” he stated.
