THE Guyana Boxing Association’s (GBA) Goodwill tournament will box off tonight at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall beginning at 18:00hrs with 12 fights featuring boxers from St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and hosts Guyana.According to the association’s president Steve Ninvalle, the St Lucian contingent arrived in Guyana just after 17:00hrs yesterday, while the boxers and officials from Trinidad and Tobago were expected to arrive at 20:30hrs and 22:30hrs respectively.
Speaking to Chronicle Sport yesterday, Ninvalle informed that the visiting boxers will pay a courtesy call on Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony at 10:00hrs this morning before squaring off later in the evening.
Ninvalle said the opening ceremony will be held from 18:00hrs, after which the goodwill tournament will commence.
Also speaking to Chronicle Sport yesterday via telephone, GBA’s technical director Terrence Poole said the weigh-in and medical examination of the visiting boxers will be done today from 08:00hrs at the Ocean View International Hotel, where the boxers will be housed for the three-day tournament.
Poole said the local boxers were weighed in and medically examined yesterday and they are all anxious to get into the ring against their Caribbean counterparts.
Poole said he is optimistic that the locals can dominate the tournament which concludes on Sunday evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall as they have had a few weeks of preparation leading up to the tournament.
The locals have been under the supervision of Poole, Seibert Blake, Wincel Thomas and Cuban coach Francisco Hernandez.
According to Ninvalle, seven boxers and four officials will represent Trinidad and Tobago.
St Lucia will be represented by three boxers and three officials. The Jamaican team is made up of four boxers and two officials.
An invitation was also sent to Barbados, but they are unable to attend because they are having a tournament during the same period.
The Trinidad & Tobago team comprises Akmal Strode (52kg), Christian McDonald (56kg), Michael Alexander (60kg), Jean Paul Cooper (64kg), Aaron Prince (75kg) and a lone female in Chimbre Taylor (75kg).
The team manager is Cecil Forde while the coaches are Reynold Cox and Floyd Trumpeth.
St Lucia will be represented by Linden Micillen (light welterweight), Ron Bastian (light middleweight) and Arthur Mangillur (super middleweight).
The president of the St Lucian association David Christopher, manager Brian McDonald and head coach Conrad Fredericks will accompany the team.
Jamaica’s contingent comprises Patrick Sahadeo (lightweight), Anthony Clarke (light welterweight), Kestna Davis (welterweight) and Michael Gardener (middleweight).
The two coaches are Carl Grant and Godfrey Collins.
The locals selected to do battle with their Regional counterparts are: Bert Braithwaite, Eon Bancroft and Ron Smith (welterweight), Trevon King and Dennis Thomas (middleweight), Michael April, Stephen Nedd and Junior Henry (52kg), Delon Charles (56kg), Imran Khan ande Clairmont Gibson (60kg) and females Dwon Thompson and Theresa London (75kg).