WITH Guyana set to compete at the Americas Boxing Confederation (AMBC) Elite Continental Championship in Ecuador, 18 boxers were shortlisted by National coach Lennox Daniels, to begin preparation, according to the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA).

Olympian and Youth Commonwealth Games silver medallist, Keevin Allicock will lead the bunch, which includes the Jackman sisters – Abiola and Alesha, Mark Crawford, Richard Howard, Patrick Harvey, Travis Inverary, Jamal Eastman, Joel Williamson, Desmond Amsterdam, Colin Lewis, Julius Kesney, Quacy Abrams, Emanuel Pompey, Delroy Fordyce, Renaldo Niles, Aluko Bess and Richard Subraty.

Daniels also met with several coaches from around the country on Tuesday at the Andrew Lewis Gym, with the GBA president, Steve Ninvalle, noting that “it was the largest meeting of coaches in a while, and all were in agreement that Daniels was the best man for the job.”

“This is our structure that we’re going to be moving ahead with. The National coach will have consultation with other coaches and name a national team that will be continuously training, but as it gets to tournaments, whether national or overseas, as it comes closer to that time, they will start meeting more often and then lead to encampment,” Ninvalle said.

Ninvalle pointed out that “from the executive level, we have confidence that this will bear fruit; we have confidence in our National coach. He brings a different style to coaching and we’ll start with this because we’re preparing for our first major tournament which is the AMBC Elite Championship.”

Ninvalle said that the GBA expects Daniels to “bring his unique style of coaching to the team’s preparation, and we at the Executive level expect to see a marked difference in the way in which our fighters are prepared.”
The AMBC Elite Continental Championships will take place in Guayaquil, Ecuador, from March 22 to April 2.

The medallists in each of the 13-man and 12-woman weight categories, according to the AMBC, will receive prize money – US$10 000 for first place, US$5 000 for second and US$2 500 for third place.