WITH the third edition of the Caribbean Junior and Schoolboys boxing championships just over one week away, AIBA three-star boxing coach, Sebert Blake is optimistic that the Guyanese boxers will hold their own and will win championship honours.

The championships will get underway August 17 and will conclude on August 19 at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.

Speaking to Chronicle Sport, Blake, a former national amateur champion, said the recently concluded Guyana Boxing Association’s (GBA) Mike Parris/Pepsi Junior and Schoolboys tournament, which was staged at the Andrew `Six Head’ Lewis Boxing Gym over a two-month period, saw the emergence of new boxing talent, and this, coupled with the experience of some of the boxers who participated in the second edition of the Caribbean championships last year, could see Guyana coming out on top.

Blake pointed out that Leon Moore Jr – son of Guyana’s national bantamweight champion and world title contender Leon `Hurry Up’ Moore – along with Forgotten Youth Foundation gym mate, Patrick Harvey and Vergenoegen Boxing Gym’s Leron Williams and Shaquancy Wright, all of whom are exceedingly talented and who participated successfully in last year’s championships, will lead Guyana’s challenge.

He added that talent was spotted at the recently concluded Mike Parris/Pepsi championships and this will add armour to Guyana’s challenge for championship honours.

Blake said from the initial day of the five-day preparatory  tournament the local boxers showed tremendous improvement throughout the tournament and the exposure they received will do them good, come August 17 to 19.

Meanwhile, to date, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica have registered their boxers, while St Lucia and Cayman Islands have confirmed their participation.

The GBA is yet to receive confirmation from Antigua and Barbuda, Suriname US Virgin Islands and The Bahamas.

Trinidad and Tobago will be represented by eight males and four females who will be accompanied by six officials and four parents of six of the boxers.

Jamaica has named three males and one female along with a coach and a manager, while Grenada is sending four boxers and two officials.