In a country where there is an increasing number of lawlessness among our youths who have resorted to cheap alcohol and drugs, it is very difficult to raise a young man without the negative influence from his peer groups on the street.
Parents, church leaders, schools and community leaders are struggling to tame this generation but it keeps getting worse by the day unless the youths are engaged in something positive they love doing and sports for Papua New Guinean youths is an alternative.
A former professional boxer Nelson Kosipi has seen how this generation is wasting away to cheap alcohol, drugs, unhealthy food, lack of discipline and has decided to come up with a boxing club aiming to get youths and kids off the street and away from activities that pollute their minds and destroy their body.
Kosipi’s boxing club is known as the House of Pain Boxing Club and it’s located in Waigani where youths from Morata, Waigani, Gerehu and NCC have become part of this club.
He is currently coaching 50-60 youths from as young as nine years of age to 26 years of age.
The club members are slotted into three divisions as per their age and weight.
The first division is called the Cadet, which is made up of youths as young as 8-15 years of age.
The second is the Novice division consisting of 16 – 19 years of age and the final division is the senior division comprising of youths from 20 -26 years of age
Kosipi has so far seen an improvement in his team members’ boxing skills.
He said it is just a matter of helping them finding out who they are and building them on from there.
“I decided to take up the initiative of creating this boxing club for youths specifically those living in Waigani, to give them a chance to do something good for themselves.”
“I made the decision to take them off the street and into the ring so that they can take part in something good such as sports and not illegal activities that includes drug consumption and so forth.”
He said the club has so far helped the youths in doing something productive in their lives instead of resorting to bad habits.
“Boxing can also help develop and mold them into being someone better in the future.”
“My aim right now is to build up new boxers, to become the next Martin Beni and Jack Willie in Papua New Guinea so that they can become good role models for their community and also for the country.”
The House of Pain Boxing club is among six clubs currently taking part in the North-East Boxing Tournament.
The tournament which began a month ago, takes place every weekend at ATS.
The House of Pain has so far won 38 matches and will be going into the semi- finals which are set to take place this weekend.
In the event that the team members win the semi-finals this weekend, then they will be able to proceed to the grand finals which will be on the 4th-5th of December.