Boxing Association zones in on selection for Caribbean School Boys and Junior Championship

With the primary goal of retaining their overall title at the upcoming Caribbean School Boys and Junior Championship, scheduled for August 16-18, the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) will launch a stringent selection procedure with the resumption of the monthly Under-16 Championship.

The initiative, which will occur on June 29, July 12 and 27 at the Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis Gym in Albouystown, will be used to determine the nation’s fight roster. This will be followed by an encampment and preparation phase that will last at least 10 days.

A meeting was conducted on Tuesday with the management staff, which comprises Technical Director Terrence Poole, Cuban trainer Francisco Roldan, and national coaches Lennox Daniels and Clifton Moore, to outline the intended direction and way forward for the team.

Each iteration of the prestigious tournament, which is the brainchild of incumbent GBA chief Steve Ninvalle and is traditionally hosted at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue, since its 2016 inception, has experienced expanding annual participation.

The 2023 edition featured the largest delegation of foreign representation in the form of Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Presently, Aruba, the Antigua, St. Maarten, Suriname and the Bahamas have joined with the aforementioned countries as those who have signalled interest in participating.

Guyana has emerged as the overall champion country in each edition.

Akin to the 2023 edition, the GBA is exploring the notion of once again staging a referee/judge training seminar to develop and improve its training mechanism.

The previous edition was conducted by Three Star Referee/Judge James Beckles of Trinidad and Tobago and brought clarity and knowledge to the respective participants on the novel rule changes that were implemented by the world governing body, the International Boxing Association (IBA), to ensure uniformity.

President Ninvalle said, “Through the execution of programmes, policies, and initiatives that propel our empirically based agenda and mandate, the GBA has once again shown its visionary approach and aptitude for success. The future of the sport in Guyana is unquestionably shaped by the Caribbean School Boys and Junior Championships, which provide an unparalleled platform in the area, particularly for the English-speaking population. It is our most crucial component for maintaining our dominance in the area at all levels and has practically developed into the de facto World Championships of the area, something the Guyanese people and the sports community, given their support, have been very supportive of given its local origin.”

He further said: “The process of development is tedious and long-term. Because we at the GBA are aware of this fundamental reality, we have designed events like our U-16 Tournaments and Caribbean School Boys and Junior Championships to provide the continuity and foundation needed to realise our developmental goals. With regard to the Caribbean Schools Boys and Junior Championships in particular, they benefit not only the local population but the entire region, as evidenced by their annual expansion in the number of participants and nations, even though it is yet to acquire official status as the Caribbean Championship.”