National lightweight champion Raka pays tribute to Micah

By MICHAEL PHILIP
NATIONAL lightweight champion Kauko Raka Jr has convey his heartfelt condolences to the families of boxing advocate, the late Ben Micah, on behalf of Oceania Fight Promotions (OFP).
Raka told The National that the boxing fraternity in Papua New Guinea would miss the former Kavieng MP’s contribution to the sport.
He said it would be a challenge to find someone to fill the void that was left behind by Micah, who passed away last month.
“Micah stepped in to support boxing in 2017,” Raka said.
“Since 2017, he has been the only politician to support and promote boxing consistently.
“He helped revive boxing in the country.
“He fought for the introduction of professional bouts in the country.
“Micah had big dreams and plans for PNG boxers.”
Raka said the national federation would need someone like Micah to pick up from where he had left off.
“We want to create development pathways for upcoming boxers in the country,” he said.
“We had funding issues, but when Micah stepped in, we started to see boxing change for the better.
“So boxers were happy to work with him.
“Now that we’ve lost him, I don’t know what we are going to do.
“Where to from here?
“So I ask the Government to continue Micah’s work by helping us develop the sport in the country.”
Raka describe OFP patron Micah as a strong leader who broke barriers and created pathways for underprivileged youths.
“Now that Micah is gone, with or without support, I will make sure to bring in a world title fight to the country,” he said.