WITH the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) Terrence Alli National Open Championship set for December 16-18, last year’s overall winner, Guyana Defence Force (GDF), behind their coach Terrence Poole, are making it clear, that challenging them this time around will be no easy task.

Speaking to Chronicle Sport yesterday, Poole stated that his fighters are “prepared and ready to defend the title. The guys are in high spirit, we’re training twice daily right now; so people could expect nothing but wins from GDF.”
The Championship, according to the GBA president Steve Ninvalle, is a prerequisite for selection on the team to represent Guyana at the Caribbean Championship which will be held here from December 6-9.

“Everyone’s looking to be part of the Guyana team and to wear the Guyana colours and for GDF that means something, especially with the hosting held in Guyana. That will make things very interesting at the tournament,” Poole reasoned.

Poole pointed to the likes of Colin ‘Superman’ Lewis, Devon Amsterdam and Julius Kensley, but noted that while the aforementioned fighters will be leading the GDF’s charges. “There are other fighters who will step up for us, so once again, I like our chances. We are the defending champions and we will be the team to beat.”

“We’re underrating no one,” Poole joked, while pointing to the fact that the GDF are usually challenged by the Republican Gym (fighters from the prisons).

“We know the Republican Gym will come at us as they usually do, but we are the GDF and they are the prisoners. Rose Hall Jammers have one of the top lightweight fighters in Jamal Eastman, so things will be interesting; but we will take the overall title,” Poole said.

With Rose Hall Jammers’ Joel Williamson turning professional, there will be a new champion in the lightweight division and Eastman seems the likely candidate to stake claim to the title.

Eastman is the nephew of ‘Battersea Bomber’ Howard Eastman and like his uncle, has quick hands.

At the Lennox Blackmoore National Intermediate Boxing Championships, Eastman stopped Andrew Griffith just one minute, 47 seconds (1:47) in the first round of their lightweight clash and showed off his hard-hitting skills.