Exciting boxing proposal set to enhance fortunes of local pugilists

Jul 04, 2016 Sports

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A new and exciting initiative to foster the growth of local professional boxers is brewing and those pugilists are getting ready to get on board.

Over the years boxing administrators have experimented with several initiatives to extricate the sport from the rut that has compromised boxers’ development. Some of these initiatives were lukewarm and in many instances died even before maturation.
The latest of these initiatives, Guyana Fight Night, seems to have suffered a similar fate and it has been quite a while that the event, once staged once per month, was held.
The boxing administrators have said that the popular venue, the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), seemed to have lost its glamour and was incapable of attracting the wide cross section of patrons to compensate for their investment.
Those administrators decided to change first to the Princess Hotel and then the Giftland Office Max Mall (GOM), Lilliendaal, ECD. The former venue, though attracting a full house, could not fully accommodate a large audience to recoup the promoters’ investment. The GOM facility gelled and seemed to have given the necessary fillip to the beleaguered sport as fans turned out in their numbers to witness fights that featured Dexter Gonsalves, Clive Atwell and a host of other local pugilists.
While CEO of the GOM, Roy Beepat, had been a major part of the organizing structure, it was President of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC), Peter Abdool, who piloted the initiative to fruition. Conversely, another figure, that of Aleem Hussain of NextGen Global Marketing, had played an integral role in the administrative changes and now he is preparing to take the sport to another level.
Mr. Hussain has recently started negotiations towards a Caribbean Knockout Boxing series that will encompass participation of local boxers matching skills with their counterparts worldwide. He said that he has started negotiations with boxing administrators in more than 20 countries and the boxers will engage in combat with the ultimate goal of winning British Commonwealth and World Boxing Council Fecarbox titles and eventually world titles.
“This initiative is huge and the pivotal objective is to create opportunities for our boxers on the world platform,” posits Hussain. He said that he has had discussions with members of the corporate community, both local and international, and the response was indeed heartening.
Mr. Hussain also said that the first few events are scheduled for the Arthur Chung Convention Centre and after negotiations with the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company organizers have been able to broker a deal to have the fights streamed live to many other countries. “This presents the perfect opportunity for Guyana to be marketed to millions of viewers while enhancing the fortunes of our boxers,” explained Hussain.
The events are scheduled to run bi weekly and will draw international audiences of some 15 million viewers and allow for the opportunity to market Guyanese products, services and tourist attractions to the rest of the world at a minimal cost.
Plans are also in train to incorporate other stakeholders into the initiative and Mr. Hussain said that several of these interest groups will receive a portion of the proceeds to aid in their social programmes. At the moment several organizations have been spotlighted including the Health Ministry, in the form of medical supplies, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, for the creation of youth programmes for young boxers and the Foundation for Battered Women and Children.
On June 14 last, Hussain met with a delegation from the Ministry of Tourism and Telecommunication among whom was Permanent Secretary, Derrick Cummings. The PS was enthused with the project and feels that it would enhance the objectives of his organization. “This Ministry would fully support this venture which has the potential of creating much needed jobs for Guyanese and all resources would be made available to ensure the success of this initiative,” promised Mr. Cummings.
He also noted that the initiative can promote positive messages while enhancing the local tourist agenda to millions of potential travelers and buyers while creating a new method of selling goods to the world. The Permanent Secretary also said that the initiative could create high paying, regular and technical jobs for as many as 200 persons in the region.
Meanwhile, Mr. Hussain revealed that he is currently in discussions with a reputable Insurance firm to create a pension plan for the local participants of the programme. He assured that the boxers would be well protected after they would have encountered injuries. “We are putting the modalities in place to protect the boxers but there are eligibility rules and other prerequisites that have to be fine-tuned,” he posited. He said that provided the boxers remain in the programme they will become eligible for a lifetime pension.

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