THREE years ago, the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) used its Pepsi brand to sponsor the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) Under-16 tournament, which, according to the company, plays a major part in the sustainability and growth of amateur boxing. 

The company had also made a solid commitment to the longevity of the tournament as well, promising that it would be an annual event.
Yesterday, the two parties (GBA and DDL) came together to launch the third edition of the GBA U-16 Boxing tournament that is set to begin at the end of July.
“At DDL, we are always looking for opportunities to develop the youths in the communities in which we operate and this tournament is one of the many ways we have decided to do so. This programme provides gainful engagement for our young people who are the core of the Pepsi fan base.
Since our 2012 launch, we have seen some of the young boxers move on to represent Guyana in overseas tournaments and this shows that the tournament has had a positive effect on our young boxers,” said Larry Wills, Pepsi’s brand manager.
Wills added, “As sponsor of the event, we are pleased with the way in which the tournaments are being organised and executed and we continue to be amazed at the level of professionalism executed by the young boxers. We are also confident that we will see more young stars emerge to the top level and I want to wish GBA a successful tournament and to encourage fans to come and support our young talent.”
President of the GBA, Steve Ninvalle, said that he’s more than pleased to have the company back on board with GBA stating that the tournament will attract in excess of 180 fighters from across the country.
“The rules are the same this year like the previous years: fighters must be attending school in order to participate,” Ninvalle said.
Ninvalle said that DDL’s support to amateur boxing saw fighters like Michael April, Travis Fraser and Stephan Green, all going on to represent Guyana internationally and credits the Pepsi Under-16 tournament for bringing the aforementioned fighters to the forefront.
According to Ninvalle, DDL along with Pepsi plays an integral role in the development of boxing at the Under-16 level and the sustainability of amateur boxing hangs primarily in the youths.