FIGHTING FROM THE INSIDE TO PRODUCE THE BEST OUTSIDE…Inmates battling life’s vicissitudes

Aug 08, 2016 Sports

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By Michael Benjamin
The raging battle for supremacy in the ‘square jungle’ between boxers of the Guyana Defence Force and the Republican Boxing Gym (REP) continued last week when those two entities carted off the spoils of the just concluded Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis Novices Boxing Championships at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.

The Guyana Defence Force by its sheer numbers came out on top but it was the REP that presented their strongest challenge, finishing in second place. The REP also distinguished itself through welterweight pugilist, Joshua Joseph, who, apart from defeating all and sundry in his division, impressed the judges who eventually awarded him the prestigious ‘Best Boxer’ award.
Boxers of the REP has always been a force to be reckoned with and boxing buffs that attended (amateur) boxing cards during the mid-seventies/early eighties would immediately recognize such names as Patrick Bess, Winston ‘Service’ Richards and the Housner brothers, Allan, aka ‘Red Belly’ and Derrick, among other top notched pugilists. They were among an elite squad that drove fear into the hearts of their opponents and established the REP as one of the top gyms of that era.
Those were the days when ‘Starry,’ a well-known tailor and staunch supporter of the REP, rendered unstinting support to that penal institution and would parade along the parameters of the National Sports Hall with a large flag in hand during bouts, in vociferous support of the inmates`.
During that time, top amateur boxer, Darius Forde, represented the Dowden International Gym, and Winston Richards, one of the best emanating from the REP, were engaged in many crowd pleasing slugfests that left fans screaming in delight.
It was sometime around 1979 when Forde and Richards faced off in the finals of the National Open Boxing Championships that Richards was given a juicy option by top Government officials through the Prison authorities, ‘win the bout and walk out of prison a free man.’
Tension was high and ‘Starry’ spared no effort in urging Richards onwards, “The only good Ford in Guyana is ‘Taps’ car,” he jocularly bellowed as he waved his large flag in support of Richards. ‘Starry’ was referring to a green Ford Escort motor car driven by the late Errol Butcher aka Taps.
That was a memorable bout and Richards was unstoppable; he turned up the heat and literally bulldozed Forde into submission, winning the bout handsomely. Richards, as was promised, walked out of the Camp Street jail a free man.

Local history is replete with youngsters that have transgressed the law, sent to jail and then sought redemption in the boxing ring. Admittedly, there have been several cases of recidivism but these pale in comparison to the many instances when inmates through boxing have received, and took full advantage of a new lease on life.
Obviously, prison affects different men in different ways. The statistics tell us that the overwhelming majority are released unprepared for life on the outside; some are corrupted by their ordeal and most times are bitter with the hand that life has dealt them. It is this reality that produces recidivists and ought to be curbed, maybe through counseling coupled with life preserving skills. Here is where exposure to the fistic sport could be employed to enhance prisoners’ chances of staying on the outside.
The recent feats of inmates of the Camp Street prison have not entirely gone unnoticed and signal a welcome revival of the glory days of yore.
Prison officials should not disregard the power of boxing to reshape the minds of inmates to generate a new thought process that opens new horizons and create fresh ambitions where inmates are reintegrated into society to make viable contributions.
As Tony Ayala, a former world rated fighter who had been imprisoned, was quoted as saying during his unpleasant tenure behind bars, “It is important for me to remain human while I’m incarcerated, not to become a hateful animal. I don’t want to let the experience of being incarcerated kill the good part of me and make me resentful and unable to experience love.”
Director of the Guyana Prison Service, Carl Graham is a lover of the sport and serves as one of the Vice Presidents of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA). Further, he has been a key boxing fan during the heydays of the sport, frequenting the Cliff Anderson Boxing Gym (CABG) during training sessions while attending most of the cards of that era. Obviously, his heart would be in the right place with the boxers’ interest being paramount.
The Camp Street institution should be regarded for rehabilitative purposes and the strategy where boxing is used as the catalyst for redemption must be enhanced through staunch support of law abiding citizens.  Maybe those members of the business community, disgusted by the large numbers of youths jailed for different crimes, should feel obliged in assisting the rehabilitative process through donations towards the gym. After all, boxing is a microcosm of life and prisoners must be given an opportunity to decide whether to take the proverbial knee during the mandatory 8 count as a short reprieve or allow life’s vicissitudes to floor them and leave them prostrate.

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