Boxing Review: Guyana Boxers win Junior & Senior C’bean titles 2018 was one of our best years’ says GBA’s President Steve Ninvalle

Jan 01, 2019 Sports

By Sean Devers
One of the changes in 2018 was the structured way in which support is offered to Associations and Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) should not be competing with private persons for support. Achievements of Associations should also be used as a variable when determining support.
“2018 has been one of our best years. We were able to win both the Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Title and the Senior Caribbean Title. It’s the first time and historic. We were also able to

Guyana’s Keevin Alicock was adjudged Best Boxer and too good for Bajan Ajayl Jones in their Bantamweight bout.

hold 12 Under-16 tournaments during the year, which was also a first and bares testimony to that fact that it was not bare talk when we said that our focus would be on the nursery of the sport,” declared President of the GBA Steve Ninvalle.
The GBA hosted three international tournaments during 2018: The Patrick Ford Memorial in February, the Caribbean Schoolboys and juniors in July and the Caribbean Championship in December.
Apart from the Guyana Cricket Board which hosted Regional and International tournaments including the Women’s World Cup, no other association held tournaments of that magnitude during 2018.
In 2018 Lawrence Assanah was officially certified as an AIBA One Star referee and this brought the total of Guyanese One Star referees to three. Next year the GBA will be attempting to produce Guyana’s only Two Star referee /judge.
“For the first time in the history of Amateur Boxing a Senior International tournament was streamed live. We had thousands of persons from all over the world logging on to view the Caribbean Championships. As a matter of fact, I had a call from friends in France and Holland who watched live coverage of the tournament. They were impressed,” declared Ninvalle, appointed last year to the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA) EC Bureau.
Of noteworthiness, The 2018 Caribbean Championship also marked the first time that the tournament had neutral referees in all fights.
Guyana won its first boxing medals at the South American Games with Keevin Allicock and Colin Lewis wining bronze medals during a successful year and Ninvalle informed he has applied to AIBA for the Caribbean Championship to be made a qualifier for the Pan Am Games and anticipates a positive word early in 2019.
Light Bantam Weight Leon Moore was the best Boxer in the Caribbean Schoolboys Boxing Championships.

Colin Superman Lewis misses a big swing against TTs Michael Alexander.

The highly skilful Leon Moore, the son of former PABA’s Super Bantamweight Champion Leon ‘Hurry-up’ Moore, enhanced his growing reputation with a devastating display of clean punching against Jamaican Ashwaney Lawes.
The Hands in Glove Gym of Region 8, Lethem and another Gym in Region One became affiliated to the GBA in 2018, while another bright spot for 2018 was the development of sisters Abiola and Alesha Jackman.
“The 14-year-old Alesha will be our pick for Junior Sportswoman of the Year. She won gold medals in two international competitions within a five-month time frame,” stated the GBA top man.
The need for more work to be done with the juniors was one of the challenges faced by the GBA in 2018.
“We had a Cuban coach here who would have undertaken that department but he was sent back home. Our coaches are not paid but do voluntary work. I would be approaching the Government with the hope of seeing the return of the Cuban coach,” disclosed Ninvalle.
“In 2019 we have several major International competitions. I can only hope that we receive the necessary support,” Ninvalle added.
“If I were to give my association a score for work done and achievements during 2018 with regard to resources available, it will have to be 80 percent out of a hundred. We will be trying even harder next year,” Ninvalle stated.

GBA President Steve Ninvalle presents the Best Boxer trophy to Keevin Alicock as members of champions Guyana share the moment.

Ninvalle said he will be applying to AMBC in 2019 for courses for Guyana’s Two Three Star Coaches and those desirous of becoming One Star.
The Andrew Lewis National Novices, Terrence Ali National Open, Lennox Blackmore National intermediate are the main boxing cards held annually and have been named after the old stalwarts in Guyana’s boxing.
The GDF maintained their dominance as the most successful Boxing Gym in Guyana during a year which had plenty of Boxing Cards, while the Caribbean’s highest ranked referee-judge, International Boxing Association (AIBA) three-star ranked James Beckles of T&T, visited Guyana in December to conduct a training programme for novice referees and officials visiting for the Caribbean Boxing Championships (CBC).
Beckles, on his second visit here for the year, explained that the training is vital since it will cover the recently implemented AIBA rules; in addition, the training was not only subjected to participation from novice officials.
The ex-Policeman covered topics such as refereeing techniques, ring control, ring management, administering of fouls, along with cautions and warnings.
Ninvalle thanked the Guyana Olympic Association, AMBC, the National Sports Commission, the Boxers, Coaches, Referee /judges and members of his Executive for assisting in making 2018 a memorable year for boxing.