THE Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) has taken a decision to rename the Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Tournament after Winfield Braithwaite. President of the association, Steve Ninvalle, said that it was only fair that Braithwaite be recognised for his achievements.

Braithwaite won a gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games held in Edmonton Canada after knocking out James Douglas of Scotland in the light welterweight final. It was the first time after Guyana became independent that a local had won a Commonwealth gold medal.

Leading up to his gold medal bout, Braithwaite had defeated Alec Leatherday of Austria, Baba Sumalia of Ghana and Michael Mwangi of Kenya.

Ninvalle had previously hinted that the four-year-old tournament, the only one of its kind in the region, would have been renamed after a Guyanese who had excelled in the amateur ranks. According to Ninvalle, Braithwaite’s achievement ranks only second to Michael Parris’ 1980 Olympic bronze medal.

“It is important that we honour our sporting heroes while they are still around. We tend to be reactive and not proactive in this regard,” Ninvalle said when contacted yesterday.

Braithwaite is from a family of boxers that includes cousins Patrick, Reginald and Darius Ford. Another cousin Richard Braithwaite is one of only three local AIBA-certified One Star Referees/Judges.

The GBA has renamed all of its statutory competitions after local high-achievers. They are: The Pepsi Michael Parris Under-16, Andrew Lewis National Novice, Lennox Blackmoore National Intermediate, Terrence Alli National Open and Patrick Ford Memorial Open.

The GBA boss indicated that there will be a return to the Champion of Champions which will also be named after a local boxer.  The fourth Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors tournament will punch off this Friday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.