By Michaelangelo Jacobus
Following the successful staging of the Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis National Novices Boxing Championships, the Guyana Boxing Association’s (GBA) President Steve Ninvalle has expressed pleasure at the return of the Republican Boxing Gym after five years of inactivity. The Republicans proved to be troublesome opponents at the tournament and even managed to pick up two championships. Andrew Thompson fought his way to the Flyweight title while Timothy Fraser claimed the Middleweight title.
In layman terms, the Republican Boxing Gym is comprised of serving inmates of the Guyana Prison network. History has shown that the Republicans are capable of unearthing gems in the boxing ring; most recently, Jason ‘AK 47’ Barker, who shot to regional acclaim in 2016 when he boxed his way to the Caribbean Super Heavyweight championships in Barbados. At the time, Barker who was sentenced to 20 years in prison back in 2008, said that boxing had saved his life and made him into a changed man. Barker is currently out of prison on parole.