– 10 countries expected to participate
THE Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors championship, the brainchild of the Steve Ninvalle-led Guyana Boxing Association (GBA), recently received a boost from the Hand-in-Hand insurance company for the staging of the third annual event.
Set for the National Gymnasium, August 17 – 19, ten countries are expected to invade Guyana to participate in the only tournament of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean.
According to GBA president Steve Ninvalle, Trinidad and Tobago, the Cayman Islands, Grenada and St Lucia, have already registered, while the other countries are expected to do so before the deadline.
At a simple, but significant presentation, Ninvalle thanked Hand-in-Hand for the support, while telling the gathering of reporters that “with this type of support, we can take boxing to exactly where it should be.”
Ninvalle pointed out that the tournament showcases Guyana and the Caribbean’s nursery in the sport of boxing, which he added “provides the necessary support which will lead into our seniors, so I’m happy that Hand-in-Hand came on board and it will go a long way in helping us in growing the sport.”
Howard Cox, the Insurance Company’s manager, spoke profoundly of his love and admiration for the sport of boxing, which he said made it easy for Hand-in-Hand to support.
“It is important to support any amateur tournament because it’s really the nursery of professional boxing. Hopefully, we [Guyana] establish ourselves once again as the Caribbean number one boxing nation. We’ve had some success with Colin Lewis and Keevin Allicock and tournament like these will help to produce more fighters,” Cox said.
Cox further noted: “I think this is a vital tournament not only for Guyana, but the Caribbean, because boxers from this part of the region need as much exposure as possible. We need this kind of tournaments and we are very happy to contribute and I would like to encourage everyone to support this venture, support this event.”
Meanwhile, Ninvalle pointed out that Guyana had started its preparation for the tournament since June 9, when the GBA launched their Pepsi Mike Paris Invitational, which will run until August 4, and is being used to select Guyana’s representatives at the up-coming championship.
