SEVERAL weeks of diligent training will culminate with raging fistic action when Guyana joins several other CARICOM countries for championship honours in the Winfield Braithwaite Caribbean Schoolboys/girls boxing championships at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue, commencing this Friday, August 16, and concluding Sunday 18.

Boxing was introduced into the Junior Carifta Games in 1985 and four Guyanese boxers contested for honours; Earl Green (lightweight), the son of the late Dick ‘Tiger’ Green, and Michael Benjamin (featherweight) procured gold medals at those games with middleweight pugilist, Terrence Munroe (silver), and bantamweight, Garfield Sam (bronze), completing the medal tally for Guyana. Ever since then, local pugilists have dominated the scene, retaining Guyana’s dominance at the Caribbean level.

Despite dominating their Caribbean counterparts and officially attaining the tab as Caribbean Champions over the years, local coaches have left nothing to chance and have been taking their charges through their daily paces. The popular saying “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown,” aptly describes the anxiety emanating from the Guyanese camp as the squad prepares for highly anticipated encounters when the first bell rings.
The Guyanese boxers have been going through their paces under the watchful eyes of veteran coaches, Terrence Poole and Lennox Daniels. Both coaches have been exceptionally tough on their charges over the past several weeks, from as early as 05:00 hours, Monday to Friday, whipping their bodies into an acceptable shape.

The applications of amateur boxing are vastly different in comparison with professional boxing. The term ‘Gong to Gong,’ or as the uninitiated would say, “start to finish,” is usually associated with amateur boxing, and the ‘third man’ usually ensures that the boxers ‘get it on.’ The coaches, both former boxers, understand this and will conduct (or should that be, “have been conducting?” sessions with this in mind. This writer visited the training sessions at the Andrew ‘Sixheads’ Lewis Gym (ALBG) and was impressed at the application, and concentration to their training sessions. Mr. Poole has singled out a few of the boxers for special mention. Among them are Dreshawn Willery, in the U15 category, Aaron Sealey, a youngster who has twice clinched Best Boxer honours in previous high-profile tournaments and Ezekiel Bancroft, whose father Eon Bancroft (jnr) and grandfather, Eon Bancroft (snr), have both enjoyed productive tenures in the ring. Then there is Junior Madray, a former Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) silver medalist. Mr. Poole said that those are but a few of the boxers in the Guyanese lineup that are expected to keep the Golden Arrowhead flying high.

This writer had engaged the coaches of several of the participating countries and they are all exuding similar confidence in the charges. The other participating countries, Suriname, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, and Antigua and Barbuda are unable to match the numbers of their Guyanese counterpart. St Lucia with the largest contingent (13) is the most realistic threat to dethrone defending Champions, Guyana. Manager and President of the St Lucia Boxing Association (SLBA), David ‘Shakes’ Christopher is confident that the championship trophy will exchange hands this time around.
Meanwhile, the overseas contingent will start trooping into Guyana on Wednesday and will be staying at the Britanny Hotel, William Street, Campbellville, while local boxers have already opened camp at the ALBG, Callendar Street, Albouystown. The opening ceremony and march past would be held at the National Gymnasium on Friday afternoon, two hours before the first bell at 19:00 hours. Guyana is the defending champion.