GUYANA is on the verge of joining forces with arguably its heaviest boxer ever. Twenty-four-year-old amateur fighter Quincy `Biggie’ Small is just about to lace up gloves to represent the land of his birth with the intentions of breaking the 34-year-old Olympic medal drought. 

He plans using his six-foot, four-inch, 255-pound frame to drive home the fact that small is just his surname and has nothing to do with either his appetite for victories or his punch.
“My intention is to give Guyana its first-ever gold medal at the Olympics. It may sound like wishful thinking to some but I have been working hard and I believe in myself. Guyana has a rich boxing history and I want to be part of that history,” Small declared.
The younger brother of former WBC cruiserweight champion Wayne `Big Truck’ Braithwaite has been hard at work at the world-renowned Gleason Gym in New York which signalled commencement of a plan to bring home honours to Guyana.
Based in Wisconsin, the Plaisance-born fighter moved to the USA fourteen years ago. He recently shifted camp to Brooklyn to sharpen training and has been turning heads in the gym, at times forcing his big brother into reverse gear during sparring sessions.
Dillon Carew, a former national junior middleweight champion, now a trainer at Gleason’s believes that the future is bright for Small. “He is very good, very strong and very dedicated. One of the best that I have seen so far,” said Carew.
These sentiments were echoed by patriotic Guyanese Seon Bristol who has supported the sport for decades. “I am mesmerised by this young man’s dedication.
“He is such a hard worker, punches like a truck and is focused. Once he keeps this up he would not only be an Olympic medallist but also a professional world champion,” Bristol opined.
Small had eyes set on representing Guyana at the just concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, but he encountered problems while renewing his Guyana passport.
With the Commonwealth Games now behind him the power-puncher has set his sights on bigger fish. “The Olympics, Pan American Games; I want to be in all if possible. I train hard and I fight hard. I do the best I can and want the best for my country,” the super heavyweight giant stated.
Although boxing had remained in his heart Small was engaged in another sport just a few years ago in Indiana.
“I was once a college Division One football player. After playing college football I kind of let myself go and ballooned up to over 400 pounds. I was eating everything and I just put on a large amount of weight. It took a lot of hard work to get myself down to what I am now,” Small disclosed.
Graduating with a degree in Arts and General Studies from the University of West Illinois, Small turned to the fistic sport soon after.
“Right now my record is 6-1. I have participated in the Golden Gloves and in my first amateur fight I was able to defeat a guy who had over 100 fights. I said there and then that I was making boxing my career. I always wanted to be a boxer.
However, I was given an opportunity to get free education through a scholarship so I took up football first in Indiana. It was an opportunity that I couldn’t give up.”
Small was recently introduced to president of the Guyana Boxing Association Steve Ninvalle in New York. According to Ninvalle, Small is a huge find for the association. “We at the association level are indeed happy that Mr Small has indicated his willingness to represent Guyana,” Ninvalle said.
The GBA president noted that Guyana is currently without a super heavyweight and labelled Small “fresh air” to the sport. “I am convinced that he (Small) would do big things. We are currently assisting in sorting out issues relating to his passport and once that is out of the way he will be invited to represent Guyana at international competitions,” Ninvalle added.