Hit Squad head coach Benjamin Musa has lashed out at naysayers who find nothing positive to comment about the national team.
In an interview on Wednesday, the visibly enraged gaffer called out his critics and asked them to accompany their observations with objectivity.
"We have individuals who keep reminding us how Kenyan boxers dominated the scene in the good old days. Which particular years are they referring to? When exactly did Kenyan boxers dominate the scene?" he posed.
"The only time that Kenyan boxers performed exceptionally well was in 1987 when the country hosted the All Africa Games in Nairobi. We had eight Kenyan boxers who clinched the gold medal because they enjoyed the trappings that come with the home advantage," Musa said.
Musa wondered aloud why the critics of the current administration fail to pick the positives attained by the national team.
"We just came back with seven medals yet nobody seems to care much about that. It's all about what we failed to do in Cameroon," Musa observed.
"What these people should appreciate is that our boxers were drawn against the current world champions who went on to win the titles," he added.
He further faulted those who questioned why he and his deputy Dave Munuhe doubled up at the Boxing Federation of Kenya as national treasurer and secretary general respectively.
"Is it the first time we are experiencing this kind of scenario? We have had a number of national team coaches holding positions in the executive in the past. Just go through the history of Kenyan boxing and you'll see my point," Musa remarked.
The seasoned gaffer confirmed that his charges will resume training on Thursday to sharpen their claws for the upcoming African Olympic qualifiers that will be held in Dakar, Senegal next month.
"We shall have at least 22 boxers at our non-residential training camp beginning Thursday. We will hold our sessions at the Mathare Depot in Nairobi," Musa said.
"Our next focus is the qualifiers that will be held in Dakar, Senegal next month. We plan to start preparing for the Olympics as soon as we return home," Musa remarked.
The vast majority of the boxers expected in camp are those who flew the country's flag at the Africa Boxing Championships in Yaounde, Cameroon.
The national boxing team clinched six bronze medals at the premier continental boxing extravaganza that concluded on Saturday.
The medalists include Peter Abuti (heavyweight), Robert Okaka (light heavyweight), David Karanja (lightweight ), Elizabeth Andiego (light heavyweight), Christine Ongare (minimum weight), and Amina Martha. Each bronze medalist received US$5000 as prize money. Gold medalists walked away with US$15000 while those who bagged silver pocketed US$10000.
){kind=link}
