Bastie must hang gloves now — Coach Believer
In a surprising turn of events, veteran boxing trainer Abdul Rasheed William, popularly known as Coach Believer, has pronounced the end of light-heavyweight boxer Bastie Samir's career.
This declaration comes hot on the heels of Samir's unexpected defeat to Nigerian Idowu Rasheed during their vacant Universal Boxing Organisation (UBO) Africa Light Heavyweight title fight at the Decathlon Ghana Centre in Accra recently.
Coach Believer minced no words in his assessment, asserting that Samir, at 37, could no longer be taken seriously as a boxer and has lost his competitive edge. "Bastie is no longer a serious boxer; he should call it quits," Coach Believer remarked in an exclusive interview with the Graphic Sports.
Samir first gained national attention seven years ago after defeating the famed Braimah Kamoko, alias Bukom Banku, at the Bukom Boxing Arena. However, Coach Believer contended that Samir failed to capitalise on this victory and became complacent, ultimately leading to his downfall.
“He failed to capitalise on the Banku feat and didn’t take advantage of the opportunities that came with defeating Bukom Banku. He rested on his oars and became too pompous,” Coach
Believer who also doubles as the coach of the national female amateur team, the Black Hitters, said.
The recent bout on April 13 saw Samir suffer a double knockdown at the hands of the 25-year-old Nigerian opponent, Idowu Rasheed. Despite having a professional fight record of just eight bouts, including six wins, a loss and a draw, Idowu Rasheed dominated the match, leaving Samir struggling to defend himself.
Coach Believer attributes Samir's decline to a lack of proper conditioning and inadequate training. He criticised Samir's trainer, Kwasi Ofori Asare, for failing to prepare him adequately for the fight.
“He had no conditioning and his trainer Coach Asare also failed to condition him properly for the bout. He became uncontrollable after the Banku victory and his trainer allowed that, thinking he was the best; but the loss to journeyman Cleotis Pendarvis of the US in August last year in the United States should have been a wake-up call,” Coach Believer stated.
The fight's outcome, declared a technical draw initially but later awarded to Idowu Rasheed by the UBO after reviewing footage, has left Samir's fans disappointed and questioning his future in boxing.
“This should be a caution to all Ghanaian boxers who think they have arrived. They should learn something from this and never rest on their oars,” he stated.