The Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) has commended the decision of President Irfaan Ali to invite former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in an effort to assist in the development of the discipline.
This was disclosed in a release from the entity. According to the GBA, the move should be seen as a momentous occasion, as it recognizes the historic importance of boxing.
Lewis, 57, who was born to Jamaican parents in Great Britain, was invited by President Ali during his outreach in Canada to visit Guyana to inspire and aid in the evolution of the sport. Dates are yet to be finalized for Lewis’s arrival, who ended his career with a professional record of 41-2-1 (32 knockouts).
GBA President Steve Ninvalle said, “This is an invitation for evolution, an invite for advancement. His Excellency Dr. Irfaan Ali has once again demonstrated the rare foresight, and vision in his quest to not only develop individual sports, in this instance the discipline of boxing, but the entirety of the nation’s sporting landscape and culture. The GBA commends this initiative, which advances and advocates the government’s position on sports via the construction of the sector and ecosystem via the established approach of inspiration.”
He further said, “Local boxing is on the ascendency, that is evident, and the visit of former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, arguably the greatest boxer of his generation, will certainly and further ignite the flames of evolution. This visit can act as the catalyst for further evolution and inspiration of the combatants. Moreover, it can serve as the stimulant and facilitator for the evolution of Caribbean boxing, of which Guyana is at the forefront in the English-speaking segment.”
According to Ninvalle, “the visit of Lewis, as ascribed to President Ali, is part of the government’s strategic exertions, and initiatives to create a brand for Guyana that also encompasses sport and entertainment. Lewis’s visit is also an acknowledgment by His Excellency of the importance of boxing as an avenue for the development of Guyana’s international profile, as it remains the only local discipline to have achieved an Olympic medal, a feat which is also apparent and recognized in the English speaking by its solitary status also in this regard.”
Guyana is the only English-speaking full member of CARICOM to have won an Olympic medal in the discipline which was achieved by Michael Parris at the 1980 Games in Moscow, Soviet Union. Similarly, the aforementioned feat remains Guyana’s only medal at the Olympics.
“Surely his visit can only be viewed in a positive light and will add further flavour to the discipline, especially at the nursery level, which is the backbone for the sustained future of the sport in Guyana, and which has undertaken a metamorphosis and overall emphasis in its overarching development under this current GBA administration. The GBA commends the Government of Guyana for this historic and impending visit which also highlights not only the societal value and appeal of the discipline but its overall importance in the sporting history of our nation”, he further said.
