By Avenash Ramzan
Coach Terrence Poole, MS, is banking on his boxers to come good this weekend when the Guyana Boxing Association stages the Winfield Braithwaite Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Boxing Championship at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
The Guyanese will be joined by counterparts from Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas and St. Lucia, as several Caribbean nations have struggled to put together a team for the three-day event from August 26 to 28.
In underscoring the importance of the championship to the development of boxing in this part of the globe, Poole highlighted that the local Association has been strategic in its effort to widen the pool of talent that is available at the youth level.
Since the start of the year, the Association has been holding twice monthly Under-16 competitions under the Pepsi/Mike Parris banner to get a gauge of the talent on offer.
“So the guys would have lots of experience and exposure in terms of competition heading into this competition. I can say they’re very, very enthused…they’re showing that emotion that they want to win, which is very important,” Poole indicated.
“So come this weekend we should see a lot of potential from the Guyanese. I think each and every one of them is capable enough to represent Guyana in full colours.”
Poole added that the upcoming championship will allow the local Association to assess the talent pool, and decide how the current crop of boxers can be incorporated into future development programmes.
President of the Association Steve Ninvalle also touched on the importance of building from the nursery up, adding that plans are already on paper to chart the course forward.
“In order to get it right in the next 10 years, you have to start now,” he declared.
To this end, a five-year plan is currently being crafted and will be presented to the government of Guyana and the Guyana Olympic Association “to show them where exactly we want to go and how we plan on getting there.”
Team Guyana for the Winfield Braithwaite Caribbean Schoolboys and Junior Boxing Championship: Shawn Sabola, Matthew Thomas, Travis Sancho, Joshua Thambaran, Arlington Johnson, Jahuan Haniff, Markel Blue, Garvel Hyman, Malchi Grenidge, Tequan Sampson, Seon Graham, Shaquan James, Dwane Baptise, Eon Bancroft Jnr., Kendel DeMonic, Jerimiah Duncan and Yusdiel Gala.
