Boxers aim to test rivals

By ZACHERY PER
TEAM Eastern Highlands boxers have thrown down the gauntlet to Team Bougainville at next month’s PNG Games in Kokopo.
The highlanders want to test their ability against a the Autonomous Region widely regaded as the country’s leading boxing province.
A 19-member team comprising 10 females and nine males have set their sights on opponents from the region with a strategy to unsettle and upstage the province famed for producing some of the country’s best boxers.
“Our boxers are training hard in the gym, on the track and road and we’re hoping to give some of the better known boxing provinces like Bougainville a tough time in the ring.
“We’ve had lead-up fights in the districts and will participate in next week’s boxing championships in Morobe to give them more exposure,” EHP boxing technical adviser Tim Gawot said.
“We’ve won gold medals in previous PNG Games. Six golds in 2003, four golds in 2005, two golds each in the 2007 and 2009 games.
“Besides gold, we won many bronze and silver medals, we are now prepared to take on any fighters particularly the Bougainvilleans as they claim that they will do a clean sweep for the medals in boxing,” Gawot said.
Female boxers will fight in the following weight divisions: 46kg, 48kg, 51kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 63kg, 66kg, 69kg and 75kg while the men will fight in the 49kg, 52 kg, 56kg, 60kg, 64kg, 69kg, 75kg, 81kg and 91kg divisions.
Gawot said the boxers would fight in the national boxing championships from Oct 26-28 as the main lead-up event in Bulolo, Morobe.
“We will have two teams going to Bulolo, there would be Goroka Amateur Boxing Association and the new Unggai-Bena Boxing Association,” he said. 
The Unggai-Bena association is a new affiliate to the PNG Boxing Union.
He said majority of the boxers were novice and had been training under coach Toksy Seteme and trainer Ahe Waho for almost two months now.
Gawot thanked the National Sports Institute (NSI) and Sun Rise Four Square church for the use of their facilities for training.
He also appealed for support from business houses. Interested companies can contact Gawot on 7105 3033.