Plans for the setting up of a new boxing gym in Linden went well last Saturday when the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) staged ten exhibition bouts at the Mackenzie Car Park in Linden.
The Steve Ninvalle-led GBA brought a boxing ring to the venue since several of those pugilists are set to represent Guyana at the Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Boxing Championships in Georgetown this weekend.

Linden has a rich history in boxing, especially at the amateur level.
Over the years the town’s best gym ever, the Bauxite Bombers Boxing Gym, carved a name for itself, compliments of those outstanding pugilists from the Mining Town back in the 1970s and ‘80s.

In recent years, there were such gyms like the Pocket Rocket and Carryll’ Boxing Gyms, but boxers from the Linden area have been absent from competitions coordinated by the GBA for the past two years.
The GBA intends to correct this very soon.
Mr. Seon Bristol headed the GBA team to Linden last Saturday which included the GBA’s Technical Director, Terrence Poole, executive member, Daniel Patterson, and national coach, Lennox Daniels.

At the conclusion of the display by the young boxers, Bristol told Chronicle Sport,“The key (is) we did exactly what we set out to do and we accomplished everything. We planned the work and we worked the plan and it’s been complete. I would have liked to have more registration of boxers.

He added, “This is a long-term plan (and) I am comfortable with the introduction that was made. So, with that, it is a work in progress. I am very satisfied all that was put together, all that was expected was done.”
Aspirant boxers are advised that they can visit the area at Bayrock, which is in close proximity with the newly laid synthetic track, and get registered.

Registration is ongoing with Lance ‘Wild Line’ Easton among the co-ordinators.
“The fact that you may have about six weeks to the opening of that gym, it tells us that we will continue registration into that week and even after that, the gym registration never closes. They can go to the gym area at Barock and that is where on a daily basis registration will be done there,” emphasized the GBA official Bristol.

Technical Director Terrence Poole summed it up by saying, “We had ten bouts, nine would have been males and one female and the purpose of our exercise was achieved because it was to get Linden back on its footing in boxing and the encouragement was there where two Lindeners decided to take the ring and it is something that we had wanted, to see Linden back in the boxing arena.”