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Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis National Novices boxing Championships… Highly anticipated slugfests as curtains raise tonight
It has been almost a year since the executives of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) had experimented with the venue and taken boxing to the Mayor and City Council outdoor facility in California Square, East Ruimveldt. The residents of that community had responded favorably and flocked the venue in high anticipation.
Of significant importance was the fact that the boxers did not disappoint and turned in spirited, action packed performances that kept the crowd on their feet and many left the venue hoarse but satisfied that they indeed got their money’s worth.
Those fans that nurture such nostalgic memories will be pleased to know that the GBA has once again planned another such event and tonight the boxers will don gloves when the Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis National Novices boxing Championships get underway at the very venue. Lewis, Guyana’s first world champion, died earlier this year after he was struck down on the East Bank thoroughfare.
The committed boxing fan will readily admit that the boxers participating in the Novices championship are basically devoid of skill but what they lack in this department they compensate with the proverbial ‘punches in bunches.’
The coaches of the various gyms have been working overtime to get their boxers ready and if what was witnessed in the gyms during training sessions is transformed to the ring, fans will be treated to many slugfests. While all of the participating gyms boast formidable talent, all eyes will be on those pugilists from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Republican Boxing Gym (REP). These two institutions have shared the spoils over the last few tournaments and there seems to be bitter rivalry among them.
The REP had earned its reputation back in the late seventies and early eighties when such fighters as Winston Richards and the Housner brothers, Allan and Dereck, had ruled the roost. Last year, this gym had dethroned the highly favoured Guyana Defence Force and obviously would be out to replicate the feat. They had suffered a setback after the coaching structure was changed after Wensel ‘Knacka’ Thomas, the man responsible for their transition, who had then single handedly transformed the team, has shifted his focus and has since started working with the recently formed Ann’s Grove Boxing Gym. Nevertheless the REP boxers are a clear threat to the GDF dominance.
The boxers of the Ann’s Grove Boxing Gym will obviously feel that with Thomas in their corner, they are psychologically equipped to trade punches with their counterparts of the Republican Gym and by extension, the soldiers. Indeed, the anticipation is high and fans will be the beneficiaries.
Boxers of the Forgotten Youth Foundation (FYF) will also be staking a claim for the championship prize and they ought not to be underrated. Their coaches, Sebert Blake and Joseph Murray are very experienced and have been working overtime to whip their charges into shape. Those boxers have been taken through their paces, technically, tactically and physically and are ready to match their counterparts from the other gyms.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) would also be fielding teams and the coaches of those units will feel that they also have a chance at lifting the top prize. Police would be represented by a seven-member team, while the New Opportunity Corps consists of six pugilists and is being coached by Lawrence Kellman, a fitness guru who is very committed to his tasks and will be sure to emphasize on fitness of his boys. Those representing the NOC are Selwyn Ramdeen, Omar Francis, Delon Isaacs, Melvin Gibson, Akeem Pashur and Shamal Giddings. Mr. Kellman has warned that they are a force to be reckoned with and will contest the divisions from bantamweight to middleweight. In all ten gyms from around the country will be vying for honours when the first bell sounds including Young Achievers, Harpy Eagles, Ricola and Caryll’s Boxing Gym among others. Fight time tonight is 7:00pm.
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