Guyanese boxers punch their way to three gold medals and one silver in St.Lucia
From left: Lightweight, Joel Williamson; bantamweight, Keevin Allicock; coach Terrence Poole; lightweight, Colin Lewis; and middleweight, Desmond Amsterdam
From left: Lightweight, Joel Williamson; bantamweight, Keevin Allicock; coach Terrence Poole; lightweight, Colin Lewis; and middleweight, Desmond Amsterdam

GUYANA’s four-man team to the Caribbean Boxing Championships (CBC) punched their way in securing three gold medals and one silver when the final of the event concluded on Saturday evening in Grois Islet, St. Lucia.

According to president of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA), Steve Ninvalle, Guyana’s Keevin Allicock, Colin Lewis and Desmond Amsterdam all secured gold medals, while Williamson, the 2016 champion of the lightweight category, had to settle for silver.
After registering three victories on the opening night–all three finishing within the distance–the Guyanese pugilists returned to the `square jungle’ on Thursday night and registered another three victories; all three ending within the three-round distance.
However, on the final night (Saturday) the Guyanese were not so devastating as Allicock (Bantamweight) and Lewis (junior welterweight) were carried the full three-round distance but won by unanimous points decisions, while Amsterdam registered a first round knock-out win against his opponent. Williamson on the other hand suffered a first round knock-out defeat against his opponent.

On Thursday evening, Guyana’s Colin `Superman’ Lewis who demolished Barbados’ Justin Edwards in their junior welterweight contest via a second round Technical Knock-Out on Wednesday night, returned on Thursday and forced the referee to stop his contest against St. Lucia’s Nathan Ferreira in the second round. He then faced Jesse Jones in Saturday night’s final and won on points, while middleweight, Desmond Amsterdam, who defeated Trinidadian Mickell Joseph on the opening night with a first round stoppage, returned on the final night and secured a first-round knock-out win.

Allicock, who registered a second round technical knock-out win against Grenada’s Neilon Cyrus on the opening night (Wednesday) and won by a similar margin over Kareem Boyce during the second round on night two (Thursday), went into the final against Ajayi Jones of Barbados and was taken the full three rounds. He was subsequently declared winner of the contest by a unanimous points decision.

Williamson on the other hand was stopped during the first round of his contest against Michael Alexander of Trinidad and Tobago.
It must be noted that Alexander is a Commonwealth Games’ bronze medalist and, according to Ninvalle and Joseph ‘Red’s Perreira, Guyana’s former Adviser to the then Minister of Sports, Shirley Field-Ridley, Alexander is far more experienced than Williamson.
“But the four-man Guyana team’s performance was exemplary; the guys did their best and performed outstandingly” Perreira is quoted as having told Ninvalle, who said the performance of the Guyanese must be applauded. “We sent four boxers, we secured three gold medals and one silver; this is great, they must be applauded.” Ninvalle stated.
Guyana almost missed the championships due to the lack of funding and Ninvalle explained that if it was not for the intervention of Minister of Social Cohesion with responsibility for Sport, George Norton, the team would have been smaller.

Originally, the GBA wanted to send a full team of 13 boxers, three coaches and two referee/judges, but because of funding, the association could have only sent four boxers, a coach and a referee/judge.

Ninvalle extended gratitude to Minister George Norton, the National Sports Commission, the GDF and the Guyana Olympic Association for assisting the six-man team to St. Lucia.
Guyana won the inaugural Caribbean Development Tourney when it was hosted here in Guyana in 2015 and made a successful defence of the championship title last year in Barbados; winning 10 gold medals and one silver from an 11-member team.

All four of the boxers at this year’s championships won gold medals last year after which Allicock went on to win a silver medal at the Junior Commonwealth Games that were held in The Bahamas earlier this year.

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