18th Aiba Youth World Boxing Championships |25 March 2014

Bonne, Kilindo leave today for Sofia

Young local boxers Lorenzo Bonne (60kg) and Keven Kilindo (91kg) leave the country today for Sofia, Bulgaria to train ahead of the 18th Aiba Youth World Boxing Championships.

Accompanied by three-star coach Jerry Legras, the two young fighters will fly via Dubai and Istanbul before reaching their final destination – Sofia – where they will follow the Aiba ‘Road to Sofia’ training camp from March 26 to April 9. It will involve 60 boxers (48 men and 12 women) and 18 coaches from 31 countries.

They will then take part in the Aiba (International Boxing Federation) Youth World Boxing Championships from April 10-25.

Speaking to Sports Nation, Seychelles Amateur Boxing Federation secretary general Edmond Folette said fighters Bonne and Kilindo along with coach Legras are able to training ahead and take part in the championships thanks to the Aiba ‘Road to Dream’ programme.

The Aiba ‘Road to Dream’ programme offers athletes and coaches from underprivileged and developing boxing countries the opportunity to attend intensive two-week training camps in the build-up to major Aiba competitions such as the world championships.

Aiba provides each boxer and coach with airline tickets, accommodation, food and drink, full training facilities with equipment, training kits, gloves and headgear, full medical and massage services as well as covering insurance, visa expenses and local transportation.

African Boxing Confederation president, Dr Abdellah Bessalem, who is also the vice-president of Aiba and president of the Algerian Boxing Federation, has described the ‘Road to Dream’ programme as “oxygen for the national federations of Africa which don’t usually get much support from their state authorities.

 It’s important that someone tries to fill this gap”.

The Aiba Youth World Boxing Championships will be held at the Armeec Arena, and will serve as the sole qualifying event for the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games.

Men and women boxers aged 17 and 18 (born between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 1997) are eligible to take part.

A total of 606 boxers (506 men and 100 women) from 105 countries have entered for the championships in Sofia.

Youth men will compete in 10 weight categories: 46kg-49kg, 52kg, 56kg, 60kg, 64kg, 69kg, 75kg, 81kg, 91kg, and 91+kg.

Youth women will compete in only three weight categories: 48-51kg, 57-60kg, 69-75kg.

Both Kilindo and Bonne took part in the African Youth Championship in Yaounde, Cameroon earlier this month.

Kilindo earned a bye straight into the final where he faced Bouzid Youcef from Algeria and lost 0-3 on points.

As for Bonne, he lost his first bout against Egyptian fighter Sayad Mohamed in the 60kg on a 0-3 score.