Regarded as the holy grail of amateur boxing on local soil, the Terrence Ali National Open Championship, which regrettably has faced dormancy since 2019, will return off the canvas of the squared circle and take centre stage from December 15-18 at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.
The esteemed event, which is the final statutory competition to be conducted by the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA), will provide the perfect culmination for an eventful year for the sport.
In an effort to further solidify the tournament’s eminence following the absence, and continue the discipline’s developmental thrust, the local governing authority will financially compensate the top three finishers within each weight class of the Elite Division.
Essentially, the Elite Division, the crème de crème of the local amateur circuit, will receive financial remunerations for finishing in the top three positions- gold, silver, and bronze.
This momentous decision was inspired by and comes on the heels of the historic move by the International Boxing Association (IBA) under the stewardship of Umar Kremlev, to increase the prize pool by a mammoth 50% for the 2023 World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from May 1-14.
With this decision, Guyana becomes the first country in the English-speaking Caribbean that will financially compensate its elite amateur pugilists at the National Championship.
Once again, this is indicative of the GBA’s developmental aim in creating not only an enabling environment for the development of the discipline but to maintain the nation’s position as the premier amateur hub in the English-speaking Caribbean region.
GBA President Steve Ninvalle, who is the architect of this novel idea, said, “This is a momentous decision by the local body, a choice which was guided and influenced directly by IBA’s resolution and eventual pronouncement to increase the prize pool for the 2023 World Championship. Amateur boxing at the international level is on the pathway to competitive and financial sustainability given the actions of IBA, and the GBA aims to employ a similar ideology and objective.”
He further said, “This is a first of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean, a feat that should be recognised and is the initial step on the path of creating, and contributing to a financial ecosystem for local pugilists. We are now firmly part and parcel of the fabric and environment that IBA is aiming to conceptualize for the future direction of the discipline. This is another spectacular day for the discipline.”
‘Dynamite’ Desmond Amsterdam, who is the highest ranked local IBA pugilist on 23, following his outstanding displays at the Commonwealth Games, as well as bronze medal achievements at the Americas Boxing Confederation (AMBC) Championship, and South American Games, will headline the event, alongside 54th ranked Keevin Allicock, who also captured a bronze medal at the South American Games.
Future details of the tournament, inclusive of the financial compensations that will be afforded to the resulting gold, silver, and bronze medalists, will be disclosed soon.
