…Blake in ‘awe’ of boxer’s focus and commitment

FOCUSED, committed, exited; some of the words used by Coach Sebert Blake to describe boxer, Keevin Allicock, after the pair wrapped up their almost three weeks training Camp in Russia, and departed yesterday for Japan.

Allicock, Guyana’s 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games silver medallist, will step into the ring on July 24 against some of the best featherweights at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 22-year-old is Guyana’s first representative at the Olympic Games in the sport of boxing since John Douglas’ 1996 showing at the games in Atlanta, USA.
According to Blake, who has been working with the Caribbean bantamweight champion for a number of years, Allicock is in the best shape of his life and his time in Russia was beneficial to their goal of medalling in Tokyo.

Allicock held sparring sessions with several top boxers and it was his first time having elite partners in over a year.
The Albouystown resident believes that his trip to the Olympics is an opportunity for him to make amends for his controversial defeats at the Commonwealth Games in Australia and the World Boxing Championship.

Allicock’s selection by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Boxing Task Force was labelled as a “joyous moment for boxing in Guyana,” according to president of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA), Steve Ninvalle.

Ninvalle, the country’s Director of Sport said Allicock heading to the Olympics “underlines that our executive has been on the right track. It has been 25 years since we had someone qualify for the Olympics. We will need all aboard to increase his chances of medalling or even bettering the bronze that we won in 1980.”

UK-based Antiguan boxer, Alston Ryan, Jamaica’s Ricardo ‘Big 12’ Brown and Trinidadian Aaron Prince will join Allicock as the only boxers from the Caribbean at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Swimmers Aleka Persaud and Andrew Fowler, along with Table Tennis player, Chelsea Edghill, have already arrived in Japan and begun preparation ahead of their respective events.

Track athletes, Emanuel Archibald (100m) and the Abrams siblings– Jasmine (100m) and Aliyah (400m)– will arrive on the Island on Thursday.