Over 12 boxers are currently training at the DG Hathiramani Sports Hall at the Accra Sports Stadium under the guidance of Coaches Lartekwei Hammond and Akai Nettey.
The aim is to get the boxers in good shape for the championship that serves as the first phase of the journey to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Boxers that excel from the continental championship that is likely to attract over 200 amateur pugilists from all parts of Africa would earn automatic qualification to the 19th edition of the AIBA World Boxing Championship to be held in the German city of Hamburg.
The World championship will host the world’s top 280 elite male boxers for the first time in the new Olympic cycle to Tokyo 2020.
The road to Hamburg begins in the Uzbekistan capital of Tashkent, with the ASBC Asian Championships running from April 30 to May 7, before the Congo capital Brazzaville hosts the AFBC African Championships from May 27 to June 24.
Tegucigalpa in Honduras will host the best boxers in the Americas for the AMBC Championship from June 10-18, the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv will welcome the EUBC European Championships from June 16-24 and Gold Coast, Australia, hosts the OCBC Oceania Championships from June 26-29.
Mr. George Lamptey, Vice President of the Ghana Boxing Federation (GBF) said the team has a full complement of boxers in camp for the non residential exercise.
The team, he said, would intensify its preparations by moving into residential camping while organising a number of local championships to test their readiness against other crack opponents.
“We need to prepare well as we start another journey for the Olympics. It has been tough for us in recent times and I believe we can improve out work rate by working harder this time. We have psyched the boys over the loss of our President. We have told them that the best tribute we can pay to him is by gaining qualification to the Olympic Games and they have responded positively,” Mr. Lamptey said.
By Andrew Nortey
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