IT will be redemption for Guyana’s Keevin Allicock when he faces Alexy De La Cruz of the Dominican Republic in the Round-of-32 in the Men’s Featherweight division, on Saturday July 24 – the opening day for competition at the 32nd Olympiad in Tokyo, Japan.In 2019, at the Pan Am Games qualifiers in Nicaragua, Keevin Allicock was disqualified after his quarter-final bout resulted in a loss by walkover. Allicock had defeated Trinidadian Anthony Joseph and Otoniel Ortiz of the United States Virgin Islands; both by unanimous decision and was slated to fight De La Cruz in the quarter-finals. However, the Commonwealth Youth Games Silver medallist was prevented by Technical Delegate (Fight Supervisor) Raphael Vega who claimed that the Guyanese was wearing an inappropriate coloured vest. Vega deemed the colour of Allicock’s vest inappropriate even though the International Technical Officer (ITO) and referee found nothing wrong with the garment.

Allicock, who was scheduled to box out of the red corner, entered the ring one hour after being cleared by the ITO, but was then challenged by the Technical Delegate and later given one minute to change the red and black vest. A determined Allicock managed to change but upon his return to the ring lost by walkover. The Guyana camp in Nicaragua immediately filed a protest but was unsuccessful in getting the ruling overturned. However, Allicock, following a successful appeal later by president of the Guyana Boxing Association, Steve Ninvalle, was given a place at the Pan Am Games in Peru. Even at the Pan Am Games, Allicock was again at the centre of another controversial decision, when the judges awarded his opposition, Lucas Fernández of Uruguay the fight, even with the uproar from the crowd in attendance and the commentators of the fight, who thought that Albouystown youth was the clear winner.
But as fate would have it, De La Cruz and Allicock ended up at the same camp in Russia and the two held a combative sparring session.