… Poole takes Coach-of-the-Year award
ALBA Games bronze medallist Imran ‘Magic’ Khan was yesterday named the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) Boxer of the Year for 2011, following his feats inside the squared circle. National amateur boxing coach Terrence Poole, who organised and lectured in the first-ever beginners boxing coach seminar for local coaches held last year at the National Gymnasium, was named the GABA’s Coach of the Year.
The 18-year-old Khan fought seven times last year and lost just two of those bouts, with his first loss coming at the hands of Richard Williamson on the January edition of the GABA/Guyana Boxing Board of Control ProAm card and the other at the Alba Games in Venezuela.
Those losses aside, Khan, who has been chosen to make the trip to Cardiff, Wales in England to further intensify his training for the Road to London 2012 Olympics, fought gallantly in the Ronald Wilson Memorial Boxing tournament in Barbados, where he came away with a gold medal.
He recently fought in neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago, where he defeated a more experienced opponent in a fight that was shown on Sportsmax and is scheduled to be aired sometime on ESPN, while at the same time he added US$500 to the coffers of the GABA.
According to president of the GABA and Parliamentary Secretary within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Steve Ninvalle, Khan’s feats during the past year deserved all accolades that will be bestowed on him, while the GABA will be nominating him for the Junior Sportsman-of-the-Year Award.
Forgotten Youth Foundation Gym’s Siebert Blake and James Walcott of Harpy Eagles were given honorary mention for the Coach-of-the-Year award. While Ninvalle did not disclose when the presentation of the respective GABA’s awards will be held, he did say it will be soon.