Stick with FABA, warns trainer

A small country like Fiji c cannot have two amateur boxing bodies running their programmes.

This was the view of Sydney-based trainer Lepani Wilson.

He was reacting to an article by former amateur boxing referee Seru Whippy of their plans of having IBA (International Boxing Association) run their pro-grammes here.

“Fiji is a small country with a population of less than one mil-lion people,” Wilson said yester-day.

“We cannot have two amateur boxing bodies running at the same time. This is because it’ll stop us from fielding our best amateur boxing team to fight at the Pacific Games, Oceania, Commonwealth Games and even the Olympics.”

The Fiji Amateur Boxing Association (FABA) is affiliated with World Boxing (WB) and is under the International Olympic Com-mittee (IOC).

The IOC has severed its ties with IBA due to financial issues, corruption and lack of transparency.

“Here in Australia, amateur box-ers who are fighting under IBA are suspended from fighting un-der the body that is under IOC. These boxers cannot represent Australia in international competitions.

“That’ll happen in Fiji, all boxers fighting under IBA will be suspended from all FABA pro-grammes. These boxers can for-get about fighting in the Pacific Games, Oceania, Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games.”

Wilson said IBA has been throwing out a lot of money to get their programmes going.

“Money should not be the motive because it’ll cut short the boxers career,” he warned.

“Last year, we had Mikaele Ravalaca doing well winning the World Boxing Association (WBA) Orient Pacific title. Then he took up the offer to fight in the recent IBA World Championship where he lost to a 19-year-old.

That has bought a blemish on Ravalaca’s record. So now we don’t whether he’ll continue as pro or be an amateur.”

Wilson said as of now it’s best for the country to have the FABA programme going on because it’ll benefit our amateur boxers in the long run.