With the 6th Caribbean School Boys and Junior Championships imminent, the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) will embark on a rigorous selection process from Sunday with the resumption of their monthly U16 Tournament at the Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis Gym, Albouystown.
This was confirmed by an official release from the entity. According to the correspondence, boxers will be shortlisted following the conclusion of the event, and eventually encamped two weeks prior to the start of the Caribbean tournament penciled for August 18th-20th.
The invention of current GBA boss Steve Ninvalle, the tournament which is unique to the region, will be hosted at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.
Ever since its commencement in 2016, the annual championship has featured an expanding list of nations with each edition. So far, the nations that have confirmed participation are Aruba, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and The Bahamas. Guyana has emerged as the overall Champion Country in each edition. Meanwhile, the GBA will host a Referees/Judges Training Seminar from August 14th-17th. Slated to be administered by Three Star Trainer James Beckles of Trinidad and Tobago, the event is being conducted to educate the respective participants on the new rule changes that have been implemented by the world governing body, the International Boxing Association (IBA) to remove any form of ambiguity. President Ninvalle said, “There is no obligation to or for success. In basic parlance, what was subsequently reaped is what was initially sowed, and as such, the GBA has again demonstrated its visionary approach and aptitude for success via the implementation of programmes, policies, and initiatives that drive this empirical agenda and mandate. Unarguably, the Caribbean School Boys and Junior Championships, which is a unique platform in the region, especially in the English-speaking strata, not only form but is the backbone of Guyana’s future in the discipline. It is our most important element in sustaining our dominance at the various levels in the region, and has effectively evolved into the de facto World Championships of the region, something that the Guyanese public and sporting fraternity should be proud of.”
He further stated, “Development is an arduous and painstaking process. At the GBA we understand that basic reality, and have conceptualized programmes like our U16 Tournaments, and our Caribbean School Boys and Junior Championships to create the foundation and continuity that is required to achieve and realize our developmental objectives. In particular, Caribbean Schools Boys and Junior Championships, despite the unofficial label of a Caribbean World Championship, a title which might eventually become a reality, benefits not only the local populace but the entire region, and this is evident by its annual expansion in the number of participants, and nations. Its success is a testament to the hard work of the association, but more importantly, the concerted exertions of our boxers, coaches, and trainers who have utilized and embraced this platform and avenue for their own personal evolution.”
