Crowned Kings of the Caribbean but are our boxers treated with requisite royalty at home?

May 21, 2017 Sports

---

Asks Michael Benjamin
After three nights of fistic fury Guyanese boxers managed to lift the coveted title that

distinguished them as the best in the Caribbean when the curtains were drawn in the 2nd edition of the Caribbean Schoolboys/Juniors/Youth championships at the national Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.
The feat marked the second time in a year that our local punchers have clinched a major title, close on the heels of their senior counterparts carting off the lion’s share of gold medals at the Caribbean Developmental Tournament in Barbados.
The senior boxers left quietly but returned to great fanfare when they were met at the Eugene Correia International Airport by a delegation that included Junior Minister within the Ministry of Education, with responsibility for sports, Nicolette Henry, Director of Sport, Christopher Jones and President of the GOA, K A Juman Yassin. Each of those officials expressed delight and pride at the achievements of the youngsters coupled with promises of support.
Even though they managed to accrue the largest portion of medals (6 gold and four bronze and two silver), in the just concluded tournament, the junior boxers were unable to totally dominate that tournament after boxers from Trinidad, Barbados and St Lucia, represented their countries with distinction.
Local boxers commenced on a disappointing note and lost both bouts, Shemar Morrison to Tevin Brewster (Bar) and Akeel Mounter to Nickel Joseph (T&T) on the inaugural night. The fact that they were able to regroup and turn the tide in their favour by the time the curtains were drawn, is testimony that our boxers possess the skills and aptitude necessary for competition in the international arena. However, flaunting their wares among their Caribbean counterparts could hardly be considered the litmus test for the acquisition of legitimate international acclaim among boxers out of more developed territories like Europe and North America among other power nations.
Minister Henry has boasted of increased expenditure in the national budget for sports development but she did not touch on the issue of disbursement. The Minister did not specify whether allocation would be discriminatory based on the performance/achievement of the associations/federations.

Mr. Ninvalle has indicated that he has submitted documents to officials of the National Sports Commission and the Guyana Olympic Association detailing an estimate of required expenditure for the fiscal year; he is still to receive a response.
Indeed, though the increased expenditure may sound like a hefty sum, the piecemeal sums allocated for the boxers’ development is hardly sufficient to procure accolades at the Caribbean level much less among pugilists of the more developed countries. Guyanese sports and government administrators bemoan the inability of local sports stalwarts to procure prestigious international accolades but it is imperative that they understand the level of sacrifice, commitment and monetary input necessary for the acquisition of such lofty merits.
A source informed this writer that the losses suffered by two of our pugilists at the just concluded Islamic Games have redounded negatively on the sport and officials are examining the viability of the investment. It is unclear if the final presumption will reflect negatively on future allocation to boxing. If indeed there is any truth to this then one can only marvel at the hypocrisy of those officials to allow the failure of two boxers to overshadow the success of more than a dozen.
The hopes of winning the coveted Olympics gold medal seems to be drifting further into oblivion on a daily basis and one wonders if the administrators are seriously devising strategies to move from dream to reality. Our boxers have always displayed the propensity and appetite to mesh with top notch counterparts of the more developed countries and it is really a pity that group discussions lauding the accomplishments of local boxers date back to the seventies and early eighties instead of present day. Of course, that was the era of Winfield Braithwaite’s Commonwealth Gold medal, Michael Parris’ Olympic bronze and the many successes at the Cardin games staged in Cuba. Simply put, our administrators of that era must have been doing something right to have been able to facilitate such prestigious acclaims.
President of the Guyana Boxing Association, Steve Ninvalle admits to being at his wits end in finding a solution to this troubling issue. He has begged, pleaded, borrowed and attempted numerous strategies to effect a turn-around of fortunes for the lads. The last venture, a walk from Corriverton to Georgetown did not even net enough to offset the expenses for the Barbados sojourn and efforts to procure enough for the just concluded tournament netted similar dismal results. What is the answer to this troubling state of affairs?
To my mind this issue necessitates an input from every single affiliate, but Ninvalle must firstly attempt to engage in some house cleaning. The coaches have been successful to a certain extent with Sebert Blake recently being promoted as an AIBA three Star and WSB coach; Terrence Poole had earlier secured an AIBA 3 Star position. Despite this, Wencel Thomas has been given the portfolio of national coach. It means that on paper Guyana has two qualified coaches and an experienced one in Thomas which should stand the boxers in good stead. The question is, are our coaches collaborating their efforts and knowledge towards a single progressive agenda? Is there any indication of distinct advancement of our boxers due to the combined input of our top qualified coaches or is there a double channel approach to their advancement.
One cannot help but notice that despite his top achievement, Michael Parris does not form a part of the equation towards the improvement of the aptitude of our boxers. The Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis Gym represents an important turning point in local boxing and is a gift to the boxers to hone their skills. One wonders who is responsible for its maintenance. The facility lacks the requisite equipment and, to my mind, is underused and filthy and in need of a facelift coupled with readjustments to its purpose.
Boxers utilize the ground floor for training purposes while the upper floor is most times locked with no kind of activity. This should not have been when the upper flat could be used for other developmental inputs for the boxers’ social and academic development.
I would hate to think that the sport is receiving commiserate treatment with the thoughts of the powers pertaining to the social standings of our pugilists who are basically from among the proletariat. They say that a king is never honored in his own country. Hopefully, this theory will not find its way into our administrator’s thoughts and our boxers’ recent performances in Barbados and here in Guyana would be held high enough to obliterate what transpires at the Islamic Games and facilitate renewed thinking towards their development.

---

---