Nuff Cuff’ expected tonight in Guyana versus Suriname amateur boxing card

By Michael DaSilva
THE National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue is expected to come alive tonight from 19:00hrs when the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) in collaboration with BrisMac promotions stages an international amateur boxing card featuring boxers from the Dutch Republic of Suriname and the English speaking host, Guyana.

Addressing members of the media yesterday at the Windjammer Hotel in Kitty, Georgetown, GBA’s president, Steve Ninvalle,welcomed the Dutch visitors and noted that the GBA and the Suriname Boxing Association has been very good friends over the years and both countries are eager to develop the sport in the region.
According to Ninvalle, invitations were also extended to St. Marteen, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Associations, but for reasons unknown, these three islands will not be a part of the one night championship.

Ninvalle stated that four boxers from the Dutch Speaking Republic will be coming up against four of Guyana’s top amateur fighters and it will be interesting to see what will be the outcome.
The GBA president said when Guyana visited Suriname last year, the Guyanese won most of the fights and it will be interesting to see how the Surinamese will respond here tonight.
All in all, there will be 15 fights on tonight’s card,which according to Ninvalle,will commence at 19:00hrs sharp and though there will be 11 all-Guyanese bouts, Ninvalle assured that these bouts promise to be very entertaining.

Speaking on behalf of the Suriname Boxing Association (SBA), its president Remie Burke thanked the GBA for inviting the SBA to participate in the tournament which, according him (Burke) will only serve to help the SBA to develop their boxers’ potential. Burke also stressed the need for other CARICOM countries to join forces in making the CARICOM region more powerful in the sport of boxing.
Burke said this tournament will definitely assist his association in returning the sport to its former glory and make it a force to be reckoned with.

Burke acknowledged that Guyana is far more advanced than Suriname in the discipline of boxing and alluded to the fact that it will be a learning experience for his association and boxers.
The SBA president said this is a learning experience and his boxers will return to Guyana in the future to learn more.
The SBA’s secretary, Ricardo Morris, in very brief remarks thanked the GBA for inviting the SBA to field a team of boxers for tonight’s competition and like Burke, said the exposure will be a learning experience for both the SBA as well as its boxers.

Meanwhile, co-sponsor of the event,Alfred McDonald Morrison,stated that this is the first event that himself and the other co-sponsor, Seon Bristol, is staging here in Guyana, but there are more such events planned for the future and it is his hope that these planned events will bring out the best in Guyana and the rest of the CARICOM Region.
Bristol for his part thanked the local business community for supporting boxing and stated that their main objective is to enhance the sport locally and regionally.

Bristol thanked the Surinamese contingent for coming to Guyana and also thanked the local business community for supporting the event.
Special mention was made of Ansa McAl, Windjammer Hotel, White Castle Fish Shop, Nigel Pile,and Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall in Bourda Market.