Boxing trainer and coach, Paul 'White Horse' Onwuachu is well known as the man who has trained many champions, if one recalls the exploits of Bash Ali at the world scene and others. He thinks that boxing should have won Nigeria at least a medal at the Athens Olympic Games. The ex-national light welterweight champion said the reliance on a Cuban coaches by top sports administrators last minute at the expense of Nigerian trained coaches caused the flop. Paul 'White Horse' spoke exclusively with Eddie Akalonu at the National Stadium
Q:Why do you think Nigerian boxers did not do well in Athens?
It is not that we don't have good athletes or good coaches. It is rather the bad way of administring and managing boxing programmes in the country that is responsible.It is the in-experience of the administrators of the sport. I mean the Nigerian Amateur Boxing Association, NABA, who handle affairs of amateur boxing.
Q: Cuban coaches were attached to the boxing team, still they flopped. And there are still talk about employing foreign coaches for boxing and other sports. Are you in sup[port?
Before going for foreign coach,lets refer back and see how far they have been of any use. When we do that and get convinced that they have doner this or that, then we can weigh the pros and cons and maybe take a stand. Let me say that no foreign coach has discovered a player or stars since they started coming here. Every player used by any foreign coach was always discovered by one Nigerian coach or another.Besides, it's our officials who always make it look like the foreign coaches work harder than Nigerians or are better. They make it seem like the foreign coaches are Gods to sports. They give them free hands with all amenities and support they need. But the foreign coach will always rely on Nigerian coaches to do anything and to succeed. Foriegners get good salary, cars, good accommodation and all you can think about. So they appear to be working harder under but still they use the local coaches to go on. That's why it looks like they are getting better results than local coaches who are denied everything as support to work, amenities and the recognition. There is no enabling environment to operate.The local coaches work under so much pressure that it's hard to break even.
Q: So ,why should we stick to local coaches on the matter of boxing if you think the foreigners have not helped matters?
One reason is that local coaches are grassroots based. They struggle, work hard with bare- hands and on empty stomachs to discover the talents who have always represented this country in sports, I'm not talking about boxing alone. After discovering the talents, they go further to brush them up and groom to national limelight. It has always been when athletes have come to national limelight that they are picked up by foreign coaches who sit idly at the centre. At the point it becomes a matter of going for international events, that is when the local coaches who started a good job are denied from continuing. The foreigner takes over in league with top officials. Instead of the country giving them support and providing the facilities and equipment to train the wards further, they adopt foreigners who know nothing about the grassroots; who lack the knowledge about the perculair environment of the different set- up in Nigeria and who know next to nothing about how to discover talents. That is what is wrong and the beginning of our failure each time we go out.
Q: Why do you have so much confidence in the local coaches?
I think that when any local coach has discovered and groomed any athlete to national limelight, should continue because he knows and understands the athlete more. Besides, he who has worked should profit, not one bogus foreigner. I believe in the local coaches because if they are supported with the right incentives and training, they will stake more into the job. Iit is our country. If athletes are to go on competitions, the local coaches are the right accompanying officials. Look at it well, it's the local coaches in the states and clubs that take boxers to national competions and the National Sports Festival. When a coach has taken his boxers through these levels of competitions and win, he has made them. Whoever that calls himself a foreigner who takes over thereafter, is only taking them out for exposure.
Q: Is there no room in your heart to allow a foreigner come in?
Yes I do.If the Ministry employs foreign coaches, say for boxing, give them contracts of say for four to five years. But that contract must have a provision that the foreign coaches must go to the grassroots to discover the boxers. We must insist on this. And the foreigners are must not to rely on or use any Nigerian coach. Foreigners must be the one organising schools, local government level competitions to discover the boxers. Let them be the one to groom the boxer discovered for the National Sports Festival. If the foreigner can really do this without appropriate structures and programmes as we locals always face, then that foreigner is a true coach. That foreigner is truly dedicated. But I bet you , no foreigner will agree on any terms to go down to the grassroots to spend time, discovering boxers. No matter what you offer, they will never agree.
At the same, let the national association or Sports Ministry give one or two local coaches the same terms of a contract and ask them to go to the grassroots to discover and groom boxers. I insist that the same level playing ground be provided to do the assignment. I bet you, at the end of the day, the local coaches will surpass all our expectations and bring results. They know where to go and how to get there to the talents.
Q: If you have your way, how else would do it or suggest boxing can be run effectively in Nigeria?
One, since we have six sports zones in the country, let NABA employ two coaches for each of the zones and send them for grassroots work. That will make 12 in all. Then, NABA should also employ anothe three coaches at the head office , all Nigerians. The zonal coaches will serve each zone, working at the grassroots to discover new talents and also grooming them. When they get the boxers at the right time, which is the right age at school in the range of say 12 and 13 years, those coaches will build a team. We may categorise them into various age grades. U- 12, U- 15 and U- 20 all in the zones. When all the six zones can have these categories of athletes training and competing in programmes on regular basis and funded by the national association, then we have taken off. I bet you, the right boxers will be fished out at the right time.
Mind you, the coaches at the centre are co-ordinators of activities at the zones and they will go on to build on the work started from the zones. but I believe the introduction of a boxing league will do a lot to change the face of the game. It will draw new interest into boxing and make people work hard, knowing that there are benefits at the end of the day. Any time NABA can introduce a boxing league, it will give any grassroots boxer hope that he can compete, win and go on to represent the country besides some prize incentives on regular basis. And that if he can win at the league, that there is opportunity to go to the All Africa Games, Commonwealth Games and even Olympics. But there must be a plan for this. Like I said , the boxing league is key to our future development if it is introduced and made attractive. If NABA takes the bold step to work out a plan for the league, surely, we will see a mad rush by youngstars to embrace boxing and it will give us hope for the future.
By Eddie Akalonu
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