…Colin Lewis adjudged ‘Best Boxer’ of the tournament

IT was the first boxing tournament for the year organised by the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) and also the first without the late technical director and coach, Terrence Poole.
The usual high standard of logistics and the celebratory atmosphere created by the GDF drummers and the dancing fans in the stands were absent in this tournament at the National Gymnasium, during the three-night Championship.
Guyana is regarded as a manufacturing factory for Caribbean amateur boxing but the overall standard and many walkovers over the weekend left much to be desired.
Could the lack of these things be attributed to the absence of the knowledgeable Coach, Terrence Poole?

The night began with the staging of the Finals and defending champions GDF lifted another championship trophy on Sunday night.
Coach Poole ‘was with them in the Ring as they celebrated’.
In an emotional gesture from his team, Poole’s photo with the words ‘Sleep on Coach Man’ was on a shirt he used in training sessions.
In the Ring, GDF Pugilist, Colin Lewis, showed plenty of skill and a sound technique and was deservingly voted the ‘best boxer’ of the tournament.
During his bout with VBG’s Zonoah Lyttle, he executed an array of punches in a clinical destruction of Lyttle in the Elite 67kgs final.
Lyttle began as the aggressor and threw some powerful shots in the early stages of the opening round although most of them missed their target.
The tall and lanky Lewis soon found his rhythm, and, with his superior reach, used his left japs to set up rights to the body to the delight of a small but raucous crowd which included Guyana’s only Olympic medallist, Mike Parris, Olympian Keevin Allicock, President of the GBA and Guyana’s Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle, along with the Jackman sisters.

In round two Lewis went after his man with well-executed combinations to his head and body.
A vicious uppercut connected to Lyttle’s ribs causing the referee to administer a standing 8-count before a flurry of brutal shots resulting in the referee giving the hurt Lyttle another 8-count before stopping the fight in 1:58 seconds in the second round.
In an entertaining 86kg fight, Forgotten Youth Foundation’s (FYF) Emmanuel Pompey decimated GDF’s Quince Boyce with right hooks to his head and uppercuts to his belly.
But Boyce, who was floored by a wicked right hand which almost sent him out of the Ring, showed plenty of ‘guts’ and refused to stay down.
It was a slugfest with Pompey throwing most of the power punches.

Boyce was sent to the Canvas when he was hit with a thunderous left-right combo but beat the 8-count and rose to his feet as if hungry for more punishment.
He almost survived the onslaught for the full three but the referee belatedly stopped the fight seconds before the final bell rang.
In the night’s first bout in the Juniors 56-58kg, RHJ’s Curtis McDonald took some effective punches from FYF’s Ryan Rogers in the first couple of rounds but came out with all guns blazing in the final stanza. But it was too little too late as Rogers prevailed.
Berbician Terrence Wintz (NABG) beat Simon Haymer from Pace and Power (PP) in the Youth 67-69kg while Joshua Thomas stopped his GDF Gym mate Ezekiel Persaud in 2:58 seconds of the second round in their Elite 57kg final.
Stephon Barton (FYF) beat Kevin Moore (VBG) in the 60kg final before Simyon Joseph (VBG) was knocked out by Joel Williamson in 35 seconds of the first round in the fastest KO of the tournament.

Travis Inverary (FYF) defeated Clifton Graham in the 71kg final, GDF’s Orlando Norton beat his stablemate Shaquille Daw in the 73kg final and Aluko Bess beat fellow Soldier, Dwayne July, in the 86kg final.
The final fight of the night between the ‘big Boys’ Zidhan Wray and GDF counterpart Troy Glasgow for the 92 plus kgs trophy turned out to be a sparring session before the burly Glasgow quit in the second round, despite no meaningful punches being thrown by either boxer.