Boxing: Muhamad Ridhwan appointed co-coach as national squad aims for improvement

SINGAPORE – He was a single of Singapore’s eminent boxers about the earlier decade. Now, Muhamad Ridhwan has swopped his boxing gloves for a trainer’s whistle, as he held his initial session as co-mentor of the nationwide squad on Saturday (June 4) at the Bedok Athletics Hall.

The 34-12 months-old gained bronze medals at three consecutive SEA Game titles from 2011 to 2015. He is partnering yet another ex-countrywide boxer David Alexis, who clinched a Video games bronze himself in 1993, as the Singapore Boxing Federation refreshes its coaching established-up forward of next year’s Online games in Cambodia.

At the recent Hanoi SEA Games in Might, Singapore was represented by only two boxers – Hanurdeen Hamid and Dinie Hakeem. Bantamweight Hanurdeen was defeated by eventual winner Ian Bautista of the Philippines in the quarter-finals, whilst Dinie claimed a bronze following shedding to Cambodia’s Phearak Ong in the heavyweight semi-closing.

On Saturday, Ridhwan and Alexis shared the revised, thrice-weekly schooling programme with the nationwide squad.

Among the new initiatives Ridhwan will introduce is regular monthly personal stories for boxers, to chart their training progress, strengths and weaknesses.

He said: “What is actually one of a kind about my expertise is that I competed as a boxer who is fairly tailored to the present lifestyle, problems and issues faced by Singaporean boxers.

“I know what they feel and consider about, their anxieties… It goes over and above the specialized facets of coaching.”

Staying inspired, he additional, is a major challenge for neighborhood boxers. Ridhwan hopes this can be resolved as a result of the new unique studies, as effectively as structured instruction and level of competition ideas.

He explained: “When you have some men and women in the crew or management that thinks in you or cares about you, not essentially in phrases of funds but in terms of a composition and supplying you a intention to work to, I feel that would assistance a lot.”

He is also on the lookout ahead to his partnership with Alexis, stating their blended encounters would profit the existing athletes.

“I assume we will work pretty perfectly. I have been underneath him right before, I know how he performs, and he is familiar with how I consider far too. It will be a great mix,” mentioned Ridhwan, who went into professional boxing immediately after the 2015 Game titles on home soil but has because retired with a document of 15 wins and two losses.

Alexis, 54, has formerly labored with nationwide boxers, including Ridhwan, for many SEA Game titles strategies but was only formally brought into the fold final December.

He explained: “From present day session, the athletes seem to be to be responding really nicely. We’re psyched to see how this will go ahead. Ridhwan is younger and has very good tips.”

Hanurdeen claimed the new established-up has energised the athletes.

“I truly feel a lot more inspired by the variations,” said the 28-calendar year-previous, who clinched a silver and two bronze medals at a few consecutive Game titles from 2015 to 2019.

“Wan was my teammate for a incredibly long time, and I have heard him speaking about the suggestions he experienced for boxing even when he was an athlete, and now he is executing them as a coach.

“The procedure of our past coaches was a bit aged-college… but I believe (Ridhwan and Alexis) bring a additional modern solution. I feel it’s going to function.”