MINISTER of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony, yesterday pledged his ministry’s support for the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA).
Addressing executive members of the GABA as well as amateur boxers and residents of the Albouystown community at the re-opening of the Harpy Eagles Boxing Gym, located in Albouys Street, Georgetown, Minister Anthony said he is very supportive of GABA’s new executive and his ministry will assist with their developmental plans.
Dr Anthony charged the many boxing gyms throughout Guyana to organise inter-gym boxing cards and said his ministry will support such cards by donating the trophies for the various categories.
Speaking directly on his ministry’s support for the sport, Dr Anthony said, “I feel if we’re to move gyms forward, we need to stage regular boxing cards and the initiative of staging Friday Nights Pro/Am fights is a good one and we (ministry) have made the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall available.”
He also stated that over the next couple of months, the best boxer appearing on these cards will be rewarded with uniforms and equipment, compliments of the Ministry of Sport.
He expressed his ministry’s gratitude to GABA vice-president Maurice Rajkumar for the commitment he has shown towards the development of the sport locally.
Rajkumar had initially pledged $300 000 towards the construction of washroom facilities at the gym, but after considering the rundown state of the facility, invested more to bring the facility to its current state.
“What we’re witnessing here today is not the work of the ministry of sport; rather it is the work of the leadership of the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association. I think (Steve) Ninvalle and his team are doing a good job by visiting the many gyms around the country.
They set about putting plans of improving facilities at the various gyms, and they started with Harpy Eagles and I know this will not be the last as I know they are working with Pocket Rockets of Berbice,” Minister Anthony noted, adding, “The GABA had long meetings with me and they proposed that the ministry should employ a full-time national coach, which we will do.”
Minister Anthony, who was taken on a tour of the refurbished facility said the Harpy Eagles Gym is off to a new start and he expects champions to emerge.
Rajkumar expressed his heartfelt thanks to Hemraj Kissoon of AH&L Kissoon for donating the canvas for the boxing ring as well as the corner pads and punching bags; Michael Kanhai of Kanhai’s Electrical, Regent Street, for donating the wires and lights; Imran Azeez of Mon Repos for donating the concrete blocks for the washroom and Farouk’s Shipping for donating the water tanks.
According to Rajkumar, the Harpy Eagles Gym was first opened in 1995 by James Walcott, a former amateur boxer who fought 103 amateur fights and lost a mere eight, but over the years the facility had deteriorated and needed rehabilitating.
GABA president Steve Ninvalle in very brief remarks noted that a few weeks ago the gym was not in the state it is at present and thanked Director of Sport Neil Kumar for assisting with the gym’s refurbishing.
Kumar, in replying, said he was happy to see the initiative as it is a good one and he challenged the boxers from the gym to strive for excellence and challenged them to produce a boxer for a future Olympic Games.
Yesterday’s activity, apart from being a re-opening, also served as a fundraising venture and while there were adults who were able to purchase tickets for the lunch on offer, there were many children present who could not have afforded, so Minister Anthony said his ministry will pay the cost of the meals for the less fortunate present.