FORTY-NINE overseas boxers from six countries have so far registered to participate in next month’s International Goodwill competition, organised by the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association and the Guyana Olympic Association.Barbados is first in the line with 21 registered boxers. South American country French Guiana is sending a team of 10 boxers while Cayman Islands yesterday included two more fighters, bringing its total to eight.
The St Lucian team would be headed by President David `Shakes’ Christopher and will comprise six pugilists while St Maarten and St Vincent and the Grenadines have registered two boxers each. President of the Guyana Boxing Association, Steve Ninvalle, said that he expects to have at least 70 foreign boxers registered when the exercise comes to an end this weekend.
Anguilla, Antigua, Bahamas, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, U.S. Virgin Islands and Venezuela are still to send in their team list. According to Ninvalle, a large contingent is expected from Trinidad and Tobago.
The GABA president disclosed that he was contacted on Wednesday by Trinidadian Floyd Trumpet who explained that parents of boxers intend to travel to Guyana for the tournament.
Meanwhile, Barbados and Jamaica are expected to send referee/judges to officiate in the tournament. Barbados has registered two officials while Jamaica has signalled intention to send one.
The International Goodwill tournament is scheduled for November 26-29 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. It is expected to have the largest gathering of Caribbean countries in Guyana for a boxing competition in decades, and is geared towards serving as a nursery for the production of boxers for elite competitions staged by AMBC and/or AIBA.
Also, the tournament would give the region’s technical officials an opportunity to get much needed practice in preparation for moving forward in the AIBA training programme.