PRESIDENT of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) Steve Ninvalle has been nominated by countries in the Caribbean to be their candidate for the presidency of the Americas Boxing Confederation (AMBC) when the AIBA elections are held in November in Moscow.

Ninvalle has been nominated by more than the five countries that the AIBA constitution stipulates, Chronicle Sport has been informed.

The move marks the first time that a person from Caribbean community has been nominated for the high office with the elected candidate also serving in the important capacity of an AIBA vice-president.

Contacted for a comment yesterday, Ninvalle only said that he felt humble and honoured by the confidence some of the Caribbean countries have shown in him. He, however, noted that the nomination is only the first step in clearing several hurdles in the path to the presidency.

“This would not be an easy task by any means and I expect the unexpected. We have never had someone from CARICOM attempting such a high office in AIBA. The next few weeks will tell a lot,” Ninvalle said.

The AMBC, whose current president is Argentine Osvaldo Bisbal, runs boxing in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, and has a total of 42 affiliated countries. The president of AMBC automatically becomes an AIBA vice-president.

In 2014, Ninvalle became the first from the Region to be elected to the AIBA Executive Committee. Last year he moved a step further when he was temporarily appointed to the AIBA Executive Committee Bureau.

The Executive Committee Bureau functions in place of the executive committee for all matters requiring settlement between two meetings of the executive committee.

It consists of five members, namely the president, two vice-presidents (with voting rights) appointed by the president, and two voting executive committee members, appointed by the president. AIBA has 2003 affiliated countries.