Five boxers selected to attend training in Goroka

FIVE PNG boxers have been selected to attend a training camp at the National Sports Institute in Goroka, Eastern Highlands, in preparation for this year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia.
The five are male boxers Charlie Keama (52kg), Thadius Katua (60kg) and John Ume (64kg), and female boxers Laizani Soma (60kg) and Debbie Kaore (69kg).
National coach Joe Aufa said the five were selected based on their personal profiles and participation in international events.
“All of these boxers have good profiles. They’ve taken part in international events before and the PNG Olympic Committee justification committee approved their selection,” Aufa said.
“In the coming Games, we have set goals to at least win a medal and that is why we have put together our best boxers who have experience on the big stage.
“We know that it is going to be challenging against the best boxers of the Commonwealth but it is just a matter of getting into the right draws and moving on from there.
“We will be spending three weeks here in Goroka and then we plan to travel abroad to either the Philippines or Japan for some trials before the games but that’s not confirmed yet.
“The four boxers — Charlie Keama, John Ume, Thadius Katua and Laizani Soma — are already here in Goroka but for Debbie we are still unsure if she is going to join us or not.
“Debbie told us earlier that she wants to represent PNG in boxing but then she is playing rugby sevens for the national team (Palais) so she will have to decide,” Aufa said.
“We are still talking about Debbie’s case, because the Hong KongSevens is in April; around the same time as boxing in the Commonwealth Games.
“For Thadius, he had been lying low for a bit but he has the skills and it will be great to have him back in the ring.”