GBA to collaborate with St Lucian counterparts towards development

Apr 06, 2014 Sports

By Michael Benjamin
If President of the St Lucia Amateur Boxing Association (SLABA), David ‘Shakes’ Christopher gets his way the relations shared with his Guyanese counterpart, Steve Ninvalle would be greatly improved and local amateur boxers will benefit immensely from frequent international activity.

Steve Ninvalle

Mr. Christopher is Guyanese by birth, but now lives in St Lucia and shared these views in an exclusive interview with Kaieteur Sport at the Vigie Multi-purpose Complex, St Lucia, March 29 last where boxers from the host country, Guyana and Martinique were battling for honours in a Tri-nation Goodwill championship.
“Amateur boxing is on the rise in St Lucia and we are planning great things for our young fighters,” pronounced Mr. Christopher. He said that there has been an upheaval in the interest level and currently there are more than 120 youths that are honing their skills at the Island’s only boxing gym albeit at different periods of the day.
The St Lucia boxing President said that there are many hurdles to cross if boxing in the Caribbean region should undergo a commendable metamorphosis. He said that he has committed himself to the task and has held fruitful discussions with his Guyanese counterpart, Steve Ninvalle, who had travelled to the Island to witness his charges in action.
Mr. Christopher is somewhat peeved by the state of affairs in the Caricom community and feels that the sport is in dire need of a shot in the arm. “Boxing in the region is like a sheep without a shepherd,” pronounced Mr. Christopher. He reminisced on the value of the now defunct Caribbean Amateur Boxing Association (CABA) tournament and bemoaned the fact that ever since its disbandment there has been no viable replacement.
President of the SLABA since 2009, Mr. Christopher said that the time has arrived when countries in the region should pool their ideas to charter a way forward. He said that Caribbean nations will have to organize goodwill tournaments among themselves if the sport is to survive in the region.
Recently, President of the Barbados Amateur Boxing Association, Anthony Jones, expressed similar views and lamented that boxing administrators in the Caribbean are lax in their approach to developmental strategies. Mr. Jones had spoken to Kaieteur Sport at the finals of the two days Horace Phillips Memorial Boxing Tournament at the Springer Memorial School, Barbados, March 8 last. He had disclosed that the Barbados boxing authorities had hosted a meeting between other territorial associations but everything boiled down to naught as the boxing officials returned to their respective countries and failed to follow up on the initiatives.

David Christopher

“St Lucia did not have a representative at that forum,” declared Mr. Christopher. He said that he would have been delighted by any such proposal as it would have enhanced his objectives towards the development of the sport in the region. He also said that his organization has been the most dominant of all others in the region for the past four years.
He said that the St Lucia tournament was conceptualized after he had held discussions with Mr. Ninvalle during the local tri nation tournament. “This is the kind of attitude needed if the sport is to develop in the region,” he said.
Mr. Christopher said that he had attempted to broaden the scope for Caribbean boxers and had spoken with other territorial heads all to no avail. He said that those heads are not as dominant as they ought to be and this is compounded by problems in some countries. He mentioned Antigua and Barbuda where two warring factions are claiming the right to administrate the sport, while the heads of other territorial associations are not as proactive as they ought to be.
It is after analyzing this situation that Mr. Christopher has decided to forge stronger ties with his equal of the GBA. “St Lucia cannot do it alone so after observing the vibrancy of the officials of the Guyana Boxing Association I have taken a decision to join forces with them because they share our ideals,” said Mr. Christopher.
The St Lucian boxing team has already started preparations for either of the Olympic Qualifiers in Mexico or Columbia, while Guyanese boxers are engaged in several tournaments including those recent exchange programmes with St Lucia and Barbados and if recent discussions with the two Presidents bear fruit, the heightened activity is sure to improve their chances at procuring that coveted gold medal at the 2016 Brazil Olympiad.