The former National boxing Coach, Obisia Nwankpa, has lamented poor standard being exhibited by boxers at the ongoing 18th National Sports Festival tagged Eko 2012.
Nwakpa, who won many laurels for Nigeria during his active days, posited that states must do more in developing the sport.
The former Commonwealth champion disclosed at the boxing venue that he was not really impressed with the quality of the boxers taking part in the competition.
He said: “I think we are not getting it right because I did not see quality in boxers from all the bouts I watched in the boxing event of Eko 2012.
“Most of them might be technically sound but they lack the strength boxers need to excel.
“There is no doubt that they have good techniques but the inner strength they need is lacking and this boils down to the fact that the coaches have not worked enough.
“This goes to show that the states are not developing sports but rather looking for short cut to success in sports.
“But things do not go this way in boxing because you must develop the sports for your athletes to excel.”
Nwankpa also carpeted the sports administrators by describing them as slave drivers, saying they are feeding fat on sports to the detriment of the athletes.
He added: “The quality of athletes will have is a reflection of what is happening in the sports sector.
“The administrators are eating big while the athletes are growing thinner and how do you expect an athlete that is not well fed to do well in major competition.
“Even sometimes you don’t blame the coaches because when a coach is poor, what do you expect him to impart on the athletes.”
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