Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) Technical Director Terrence Poole said that the acquisition of the new boxing ring, which was facilitated by the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport, will allow the entity to decentralise their existing Under-16 programme, with the community of Vergenoegen set to take centre stage on Saturday, September 21.
The event, which is hosted twice per month, will occur at 17:00h at the community’s rice mill tarmac with the utilisation of the older ring.
The major gyms that have confirmed their participation are the Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis, Pace and Power, Pocket Rocket, Rose Hall Jammers, New Amsterdam Academy, Bailey, and Forgotten Youth Foundation and Vergenoegen.
The annual initiative has formed the backbone of GBA’s nursery programme, and with the attainment of the new ring, it will allow the association to utilise the older equipment to be transported to the various venues going forward.
Linden is slated to host the initiative two weeks after Vergenoegen. Similarly, Berbice is scheduled to take centre stage following the conclusion of the Linden leg.
Terrence Poole, Technical Director of the GBA, said, “This is one of the GBA developmental programme where we are focused on the decentralisation of boxing in Guyana. Georgetown is not Guyana, and this is the starting point. Linden and Berbice are also scheduled, but everyone will have a share of the spotlight.”
According to Poole, the evolution of the initial Under-16 initiative will naturally increase the volume of competitors.
He noted: “This will allow us to have even more boxers competing, which adds to our local talent pool. More fighters means more competitions and will naturally take the sport to the next level at this stage. The boxers will have to further improve because they will have more competitors in each division.”
He further said, “Local boxing will develop, which will improve our regional competitiveness, which will in turn help to continue and sustain our superiority as the leading nation in the English-speaking Caribbean.”
“Overall, this developmental programme is very important to us because Georgetown is not Guyana and everyone would like to see their champions and fighters compete at home and get a first-hand look so that they can assess their quality and recognise who is a talent for the future,” Poole added.
