…Coach Sebert Blake express delight in boxer’s preparedness

Keevin Allicock will face Alexy de la Cruz today at the Tokyo Olympics and his coach, Sebert Blake told Chronicle Sport, that the Albouystown youth is in the best shape of his life.
According to Blake, Allicock, who spent three weeks in Russia at a preparation camp, is in his spirits. Allicock, Blake said, is ready to represent the ‘Golden Arrowhead’.
Blake noted, that the camp in Russia was as focused Allicock has ever been; even more prepared than his 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games silver medallist triumph.
Ironically, Allicock’s clash with De la Cruz has been in the making since 2019. At the Pan Am Games qualifiers in Nicaragua, 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.