By Ravendra Kishore
National coach and manager of the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) Team which placed second at the Caribbean Amateur Boxing Association (CABA) junior and women’s championships in Trinidad and Tobago Carl Franklyn, was yesterday full of praise for the team.
The seven-member Gu-yana team comprising six males and one female boxer, ended the championships with five gold, one silver and one bronze medal to Trinidad’s 12 gold (five of which were walk overs) 24 silver and two bronze medals.
Some 14 countries participated in the championships.
Speaking to Stabroek Sport yesterday, Franklyn said that the team’s performance was good.
He noted that an almost 90% success rate was achieved and pointed out that of the seven boxers, only Rondell Douglas had any prior overseas exposure having fought in Goodwill Series in St. Kitts and Trinidad and Tobago.
Franklyn feels that had Guyana sent a much larger contingent to the games they would have been declared overall champions.
He noted that the Trinidad contingent consisted of over 30 boxers and suggested that the small size of the Guyana squad was as a result of the GABA being cash strapped and receiving only a limited amount of sponsorship.
Franklyn said the lone bronze medalist Akeem Alexander, was expected to do well after overwhelming his opponent in his first fight but faded in the semi-finals.
“Somewhere along the line he lost focus and he became less aggressive, too cautious and portrayed a boxer who lacked skills,” Franklyn said.
Alexander suffered from a bleeding nose in his first fight which seemed to affect his concentration. He was not taken to the hospital as Franklyn and assistant coach Terrence Poole were able to stop the bleeding.
However, the injury flared up again in his second fight which Franklyn said might have been responsible for his poor showing.
Moonchan Sankar, who won the first gold medal, was regarded as the showpiece as he converted many a Trinidadian fans whilst boxing in the Pinweight category.
And Paulette Nurse, coach of Sankar and Douglas, said that she was both happy and disappointed at the showing of the two boxers.
Nurse stated that Douglas had been under her wing since 2002.
She said he started from scratch, learning boxing at her gym and that she was disappointed as the silver medal was not what she was expecting from her featherweight boxer who is the best boxer of her gym – the Ricola Boxing Gym, in Agricola, East Bank Demerara.
She was, however, full of praise for the energetic Sankar who she said was extremely aggressive, loved the sport and was dedicated to his craft.
She feels that the diminutive Sankar is in the right division (98-104) as this was the correct ratio for his height (under four feet) to his weight. Nurse added that because of the ages of Sankar and Douglas, she will be concentrating on speed rather than on power for their future training.
And, Seibert Blake, Herlando Allicock’s coach, praised his charge for his gold medal performance.
Blake, who is in charge of the Forgotten Youth Founda-tion in Albouystown, said that Allicock practically grew up in the gym having been there nine years now ever since he discovered him as a nine-year-old.
Blake said Allicock was extremely skillful but needed polishing up in certain areas especially his stance.
Blake, though, hopes to have Allicock as one of the boxers from the gym to be on the 2012 Olympics bandwagon.
Blake said that he was looking to have boxers from his gym ready to challenge for a place in the 2012 and 2016 Guyana Olympic squads when that time reaches.
Franklyn and four boxers including Sankar, Allicock, Douglas and Stefan Gouveia returned home yesterday while Cleveland Rock, Alexander and Poole will be returning home today.
The lone female boxer Moses will be vacationing in Trinidad until the end of August when she is due to return home.
