Boxers enjoy Cuban bonus

SINGAPORE — Purists will not be wrong come June next year should they detect a spot of Cuban in Singapore’s boxers aiming for a gold medal at the SEA Games.

Not since Mohd Mukhlis won the 67kg title at the 1985 Games in Bangkok has a Singaporean boxer fought his way to the top step of the podium.

But if any of the Republic’s athletes should break through next June, they will need to give thanks to their Sri Lankan counterparts, who not only hosted them for a training-cum-competition stint, but also willingly shared the expertise of their Cuban head coach Jorge Luis Frometa Matos.

For Syed Abdul Kadir, president of the Singapore Amateur Boxing Association (SABA), training in Sri Lanka was good and getting pointers from 42-year-old Matos was a bonus.

“Matos was so unselfish and he helped in coaching our boxers,” said Kadir. “The things he taught or pointed out to our boxers will serve them well.

“The Cubans have always produced world-class boxers and world-class coaches too, and Matos has worked with the Cuban national boxing team before he came to Sri Lanka. I am impressed with his knowledge and coaching skills.”

A squad of 11 — six men and five women — attended the two-week stint in Colombo from Nov 3 to 17, and Kadir is considering sending the boxers there again as the Games approaches to sharpen them up.

He added: “The Sri Lanka Boxing Association has been very helpful and I have spoken to its officials about using its national training centre again and getting the help of Matos if we need it in our final preparation for the SEA Games.”

Last month’s stint cost SABA S$15,000, including airfare and food, for the 11 athletes and three officials, money that Kadir considers well spent.

“We had competitions there too. The male boxers fought their Sri Lankan counterparts and also those from Seychelles, who were there at the same time, while the women boxers sparred with the Sri Lankan boxers,” he said.

“The facilities at the training centre are marvellous. It’s a private club, but the Sri Lanka Boxing Association use it as their national training centre.”

Among the Republic’s boxers who went to Colombo were Ridhuan Ahmad and Myanmar bronze medallist Solihin Nordin as well as women boxers Tiffany Teo, Leona Hui, Angeline Devi, Effasha Kamaruddin and Shiren Rishyani. Singapore’s women will make their SEA Games debut next year in all four divisions contested — 48kg, 51kg, 54kg and 60kg.

Shiren Rishyani, 23, who fights in the 54kg category, described her Sri Lankan stint as an eye-opener.

“The Cuban coach is really good,” she said. “For example, he knows our weakness is our footwork and he spent time correcting us. The two weeks we trained under him really improved our confidence.

“The Cuban style of training is quite different. It’s a lot of hard work and you have to push yourself really hard to cope. But we benefit from the experience and I really wouldn’t mind going back to Sri Lanka to train under him again.”

Arvind Lalwani, the coach who accompanied the team to Colombo, also praised Matos for helping the Singapore boxers.

“He is a big name in coaching … and if someone like Matos is ready to lend a helping hand, we should learn from him,” he said.