By Tiadi Blair
Last year, Cleveland Rock announced himself to the sporting public in Guyana when he captured a silver medal at the inaugural junior Commonwealth Games in Pune, India.
This year though it seems as if Rock will be attracting more attention with his words than his fists.
In an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport prior to the staging of the National Open amateur boxing championships Rock called on the government to play a more active role in the sport.
Rock, who trains at Camp Ayanganna, under Hungary-trained coach Terrence Poole, claimed that since he has been involved in the sport, it had not received any support from the government.
He added that in most cases it was the business community that came out and supported the boxing adding that this was also the case for several other sport disciplines.
“Most times when we are training, we don’t get support, most business persons have to sponsor us, places like Namilco and Bakewell,” he declared.
Rock’s training sessions at Camp Ayanganna last for three, sometimes four hours and he gets paid by the organisation.
“I really liked boxing for a long time, which is why I always attend my training sessions and listen to my coach, Terrence Poole.
“He points out my strengths and weaknesses which encourages me to strive for better.”
The 19-year-old Rock has missed out on selection to this year’s World Championships set for Milan, Italy next month.
But should the government heed Rock’s call and work along with the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association to put programmes in place for the development of the sport, the sky could be the limit for the Cleland Rocks of this country.