Michael Parris U-16 Boxing Championship set for Saturday
- DDL/Pepsi onboard as major corporate partner
After a hiatus of two years, competitive local boxing is set to resume on Saturday (February 26) with the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) to host its Michael Parris Under-16 Championship at the Andrew ‘Six Heads’ Lewis gym in Albouystown, Georgetown.
Named after Guyana’s lone Olympic medallist, the one-day event will get cracking at noon with approximately 40 of the nation’s most promising young talents set to tussle for supremacy.
Supporting the Association’s efforts to provide a platform for the country’s prospective boxers to showcase their pedigree is corporate giant Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), through its global brand Pepsi.
Brand Manager Larry Wills pointed out that the company is keen on supporting developmental programmes in the country, and the sponsorship to the Boxing Association for the 11th year is indicative of that commitment.
“And this is something we will continue to do because it helps to develop the kids, it helps to develop the sport and it helps to develop the country as a whole,” Wills said at a press briefing on Thursday in Georgetown.
“We know the GBA has been doing an excellent job in executing (the boxing programme) and we have no concerns whatsoever in how 2022 will go.”
President Steve Ninvalle said the GBA has been placing special emphasis on its nursery programme with the aim of fostering long-term development of the sport.
Against this backdrop, he touched on the impact of the partnership with DDL.
“As a spin-off from the Pepsi/Michael Parris National Under-16 tournaments, we were in able to in 2016 to have a Caribbean School Boys and Juniors tournament (hosted in Guyana). So it just shows that when you’re embraced by the right corporate people with the right corporate resources, how far-reaching it can be,” Ninvalle highlighted.
The GBA head related that it is their intention to have a return of the Caribbean School Boys and Juniors tournament in Guyana in August this year.
As such, this weekend’s event will give the Association a guide as to the level of the local boxers after a 24-month layoff.
Importantly, no spectators would be allowed at the Michael Parris Under-16 Championship, as the GBA is committed to ensuring the safety of the young competitors and officials.