Republican Gym named best gym, Smith, Howard named best boxers
THE Republican Boxing Gym was named best gym when the curtain came down on the Guyana Boxing Association’s (GBA) National Novices Championships at California Square, East Ruimveldt Community Centre tarmac, Saturday night.Glenroy Smith of the Essequibo Boxing Gym was named best fighter in the male category while Taseka Howard, fighting out of the Forgotten Youth Foundation (FYF) Gym, was adjudged best female boxer on show.
The championship which started Friday evening at the same venue attracted very many spectators.
GBA’s Technical Director Terrence Poole said it was the largest crowd at an amateur or even a professional card here in Guyana for over two decades.
Poole said the GBA has come to realise that one cannot bring spectators to witness a card; it is better if the activity is taken to the fans and in this case is was taken to the populated East Ruimveldt community which boasts a number of amateur and professional boxers, whose peers and relatives would want to come out and support them.
This, Poole said, is a plus for amateur boxing in Guyana.
He said the next tournament on the GBA’s card is the national Intermediate Championships, but the association has some other plans which will be a priority.
Smith won the best male boxer award by virtue of a first-round technical knockout (TKO) victory over Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) Mervyn Rollins in a 75Kg contest, while Howard won the best female boxer award after securing a third-round TKO win over GDF’s Tanesha Garraway in a 54 Kg contest.
Sunday night’s card also saw one knock-out victory being recorded and seven other TKOs.
The only knockout for the championship was registered by Republican’s Dequan Kawall who stopped his gym mate Richard Gordon in the second round of their 52kg weight class contest.
TKOs were also registered by New Opportunity Corps’ (NOC) Calvin Barry, GDF’s Andel Douglas, Republican’s Steffon Andrews, Junior DaSilva, Alaus Daniels, Clifton Graham and Delon Gordon.
The referee stopped the 75-80 pounds junior contest between Barry and FYF’s Theo Bumbury in the first round, while in the open category, the officiating referee stopped the 40kg contest between Douglas and Republican’s Ravindra Bissoondial in the first round.
Andrews’ 56kg contest against his gym mate Delon Naughton was stopped in the second round while DaSilva’s 60kg contest against his gym mate Steffon Juban was halted in the second round also.
In the open category, Daniels’ 64kg contest against FYF’s Keon Bernard was ended in the third round, Graham’s 69kg bout against GDF’s Devon Blair was cut short in the first round and Gordon’s 81kg bout against GDF’s Quee Brotherson was stopped by the referee in the third round.
In other results from the night’s card, Essequibo’s Shaquan Wright defeated FYF’s Barry by points in their 85-pound junior category bout.
In the same category (junior), Harpy Eagles’ Kelvin Allicock crushed DeShan Elcock in a 95lb-99lb contest, Essequibo’s Christopher Moore overcame his gym mate Deshan Elcock in their 110-114 lb weight category, Shane Skeete fighting out of the Harpy Eagles Gym crushed FYF’s Jonathan Hunte in a 115-119 pounds bout, Colin Hinds of Pocket Rockets Gym beat NOC’s Samuel Forde, Andrew Newton of NOC upstaged his gym mate Joel Best in a 140-149 lb bout and Steffon Smith of FYF bettered Essequibo’s Akeem Mounter in a 150-160 lb weight class bout.
In the Youths category, Junior Henry of FYF defeated Steffon Green in a 52kg contest and Dewani Lampkin of FYF trounced J. Richards of Harpy Eagles in a 56kg contest.
In the open category, Akeem August of FYF whipped his gym mate Kevin DeFreitas in a 91kg contest and Eon Fraser of Republica defeated John Champayne of Republican in a 91 plus kg bout.
