Guyana finish third at Caribbean Boxing Championships
Eight of the nine medal winners in Trinidad yesterday afternoon.
Eight of the nine medal winners in Trinidad yesterday afternoon.

-Allicock and Abiola Jackman win gold medals on final night

GUYANA finished third at the 2019 Caribbean Boxing Championships after winning nine medals against a tough field of boxers in Trinidad  and Tobago over four nights of competition, which concluded on Sunday evening at the Na­tion­al Cy­cling Cen­tre (NCC) at Bal­main, Cou­va.

Trinidad and Tobago, which had a field of 25 boxers, are the new champions, while Barbados just pipped Guyana by a single point to place second.  Some 17 nations, including powerhouse Cuba, participated in the championships.

Guyana had initially selected a team of 21 boxers, but funding only allowed for 13.   Nine of them  won medals.  Sisters Alesha and Abiola Jackman and defending Caribbean bantamweight champion, Keevin Allicock, led the charge with three gold medals.

Three other boxers finished with silver medals, including Dennis Thomas, who became a two-time Caribbean middleweight silver medallist.  Thomas lost to US Virgin Islands’ boxer, Deion Pruitt via points. 

Keevin Allicock (centre) defended his bantamweight title at the regional championships.

National Open best junior boxer, Mark Crawford, also lost in the final when he tackled 2018 Caribbean Junior Welterweight champion, Blessing Waldropt from T&T, in the Youth Lightweight 60kg division.

Jullius Kesney also went down to Bajan boxer, Jabali Breedy, in a bantamweight battle.

The bronze medal winners were Kevin Hunte, Josh Howard and Daren France.

Emanuel Pompey did not get a chance to fight after Barbados decided to pull out their boxer from the competition. The middleweight (75kg) boxer had opted to drop down to 69kg to compete.

Meanwhile, there were several strange decisions by the judging panel, which forced Guyana to protest two of the decisions.

DOMINANT SISTERS

After 15-year-old Alesha Jackman had won gold on Saturday night, it was her 17-year-old sister’s turn on Sunday evening. The East Ruimveldt resident was able to display her superior boxing skills against local girl Kinesha Clarke.  Abiola, who attends the Business School (on a scholarship), used a combination of punches to stop her older opponent in one minute and 30 seconds into the first round of their Women’s Novice Division 69Kg final.

Allicock, who was Guyana’s trump card, lived up to expectation when he dominated his USVI opponent, Otoniel Ortiz in their bantamweight final.

The Guyanese dominated the fight from the start with left hooks and right hands and focused body shots, which led to a unanimous victory.

Team Guyana was scheduled to arrive back home last evening.

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