GBA’s Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Boxing Tournament

DESPITE a slightly disorganised tournament, the ninth edition of this tournament confirmed that Guyana is the manufacturing factory of amateur boxing in the Caribbean when they copped their ninth team title.

The ninth edition concluded in the wee hours of Sunday morning at the fully refurbished Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, which was opened in November 1975.

Guyana won five gold and three silver medals on the third and final night; the only defeats were to St Lucia, who attended every Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Boxing tournament since it was conceptualised in 2016 by GBA president Steve Ninvalle.

On a night when TKR lost their second match in the CPL in Antigua, Trinidad and Tobago lost both of their bouts in Guyana, on a disappointing night for sports for the “Trinis.”

A small gathering watched in cool and comfortable conditions at the “Sports Hall” as the inmates represented the Republican Boxing Gym in four exhibition bouts in which the boxers went at each other as if they were title fights.

For the first time in the Caribbean, female inmates boxed in a public event, while males from the RBG usually participate in local inter-gym tournaments.

The inmates who boxed on the final night were: Saffie Mohamed, Tricia Campbell, Deborah Williams, Celine Dilawar (female) and Mark Joseph, Jason Hardy, Elton Gibson, Kemraj (Male). A Trophy was presented to the RBG by Guyana’s Director of Sport and GBA Head Steve Ninvalle.

One of the most exciting bouts of the night was the 57-60 kgs international between Guyana’s Ryan Rogers and Fabio Jacb of Trinidad and Tobago.

In a hectic first round, Jacb came out with a flurry of shots before Rogers counter-punched, but it looked as if Jacb had done enough to take the round.

The Guyanese southpaw used his right jabs to good effect and caught Jacb with a crunching uppercut that staggered him as Rogers fought himself back into the contest.

Rogers executed his jabs with precision and followed them up with wicked lefts that hurt the “Trini” and sent him to his knees.

Jacb launched some good shots in the dying stages of the

final round, but it was the Guyanese who was adjudged the winner on points.

The 60- 63.5 kg fight between the highly touted Guyanese Ken Harvey and St Lucian Nachan Alex ended in a loss for the Guyanese.

Alex started with all guns blazing, firing fast four-shot combinations which kept Harvey in defensive mode.

In the second stanza, Harvey connected with a right to the head which stunned Alex, who looked very confident and dangerously aggressive.

In the final round, Harvey, desperately looking for a knockout, caught the St Lucian with a crisp left hook and body shots and the disappointing turnout were on their feet.

Alex would survive the last-minute onslaught to take the gold medal for St Lucia, whose youth development has shown steady improvement during the past few years.

The other St Lucian to win gold was Daniel Martin, who defeated Guyana’s Ossis Prince.

Prince was brought to the ring by his ‘Royal Subjects’ (Members of Team Guyana) with the Golden Arrowhead, accompanied by music from the sound system.

Martin used his superior reach advantage to stick jabs in Prince’s face every time he advanced and many times ‘ran’ into clinical shots.

When Prince threw a punch, the tall St Lucian would retaliate with three punches.

Samir Arndell of St Martin and Guyana’s Jofes Jackson, fighting in the 71-74 kgs final, both pugilists threw plenty of brutal punches at each other.

Jackman connected with a stinging upper cut followed by a right to the body, causing Arndell to stumble into a clinch.

But Arndell would counter punch and hurt Jackman as he targetted the body, and when the dust had settled it was Jackman who won on a split decision, a verdict that could have

gone either way.

In the other fights on the 11-bout card (including the four exhibition fights), Trinidadian Shawn Ramnauth lost to Guyana’s Junior Madray in the 37-40kgs final, Natram Sugrim

lost to his countryman Ukesh Persaud, and Isiah Nurse beat fellow Guyanese Cort Mahase.