TEAM Guyana will go into action today at the AMBC Olympics Boxing Qualifiers in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Light heavyweight Desmond Amsterdam is set to collide with Colombian Juan Carlos Carrillo in the eighth fight of today’s second session which commences at 14:00hrs
Amsterdam’s compatriot Dennis Thomas will start competition tomorrow. The middleweight policeman drew a bye and is scheduled to face Puerto Rican Jose Luis Rodriguez. A victory would put Thomas into the quarter-finals.
Manager/coach of the team Sebert Blake confirmed that spirits were high in the Guyana camp. “We are looking at some videos of the persons we are supposed to fight and our spirits are high. With that we expect to have the right results,” Blake said.
The three-man Guyana team arrived in Argentina on Thursday morning. Amsterdam is a gold medallist at the Caribbean Development Tournament held last November in Guyana while Thomas reached the quarter-final round of the last Commonwealth Games.
According to Blake there are a total of 184 boxers at the Qualifiers. Thomas’ division has 21 fighters while 14 make up Amsterdam’s category. The Olympics Qualifier is a hurdle boxers have to cross in order to participate in the Olympics.
Guyana last appeared at the Olympics in 1996. Policeman `Big’ John Douglas was this country’s lone boxer at the games.
