By Neto Baptiste
Owner and coach of the Uprising Boxing Gym, Anthony Severin, said the sport is being held hostage by President of the Antigua and Barbuda Amateur Boxing Federation (ABABF), Len Mussington.
Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show, Severin said there have been many attempts to amicably resolve issues plaguing the association but Mussington continues to make the process a difficult one, at times refusing to sanction requests by his gym to have boxers represent Antigua and Barbuda abroad.
“It’s not from a lack of trying in terms of communication with the association to say and what association? It’s just one man who says he has a boxing association and we try to communicate with him and he would try nothing else but to just keep us at arms length, keep us away from the boxing. I don’t know why; he just wants it for himself. He doesn’t have any programmes and he doesn’t have anything going on with boxing but he just attends off the events including national events, he goes to the meetings [outside of Antigua] and he comes back here and don’t do anything for boxing,” he said.
The boxing federation has bordered on dormancy for many years, neglecting to host national competitions, failing to host development initiatives for both boxers and officials alike while also neglecting to host annual general meetings and or constitutionally due elections.
Severin said the athletes and the sport continue to suffer. He adds that nothing will change if those in authority continue to sit idly by.
“There are a lot of youngsters here that needs the opportunity and they are just training and can’t get the opportunity because there are no programmes going on and they are not making an effort to bring everything together. We’re here and still doing our thing for over 15 years and we’ve been going out there, representing Antigua and coming back with medals and we are still not getting the recognition we want. I think it’s time that we really talk out about it. We’ve been trying to fix things and mend things without stepping on anybody’s toes but I think that right now, we should come out and call a spade a spade,” the coach said.
A seven-member team, comprising five boxers and two coaches, are currently in St Lucia for the OECS Boxing Championships. The athletes and officials were forced to either pay their own way or seek sponsorship after funding requests to both the NOC and the Ministry of Sports were denied. The requests, according to Severin, were turned down after they could not secure the blessings of the federation to fight under the Antigua and Barbuda banner.
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