Steve Ninvalle —- beating the mandatory count en route to amateur boxing’s success

May 27, 2018 Sports

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When Michael Anthony Parris won a bronze medal for Guyana at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the feat represented the first from any Guyanese athlete and evoked countrywide celebration. It was around that time when Guyana enjoyed fruitful exchange programmes with Cuba with our boxers visiting the Spanish country to engage in fistic confrontations in the noble sport. Who could forget the Anthony Andrews/Joaquin Campanioni affair that had the crowd on its feet for its entire duration? Who could forget the fistic encounters that saw our pugilists overcoming the strength of their Latin American and Caribbean counterparts and ultimately, the mighty Cubans? Names such as John Brummell, Darius Forde, Anthony Barrow and Winston Richards all remain etched in the hearts of boxing aficionados and retain the rich local boxing culture.
However, amidst the vicious uppercuts, acute right hooks and sensational knockouts, a reputable group remained concealed behind the curtains and though its members are seldom mentioned, their contributions to the fistic sport remain almost indispensable yet hardly mentioned; these are the executives of the Guyana Boxing Association.
The Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) has always had a vibrant executive body which in large part was, and still is, the driving force behind the boxers’ many successes. Though its membership is not derived from an ‘en bloc’ module of voting where a one slate arrangement would guarantee some level of unity of ideas, the GABA executive has managed to arrive at common consensus in the development of its charges.
There is the common belief that the success of the boxers depends heavily on the drive of the executives which redounds to the President. This view is further endorsed when one reflects on the input of past Presidents, Colonel Martindale, Attorney-at-Law, Stanley Moore, the late Laurie Lewis’ K A Juman Yassin and the many others that have been at the helm of the GABA.
Journalists are key stakeholders in the development of boxers as they report on their feats, while maintaining checks and balances of executives. Steve Ninvalle had served in this capacity as a journalist of the Stabroek News Newspapers and possessed more than a working knowledge of the sport when he decided to contest for the prestigious position in 2009. His competitor was incumbent, Afeeze Khan, who had managed to solidify his position at the helm and seemed set to retain the coveted spot. At the end of the elections Ninvalle lost out by a single vote. He never wavered and less than 6 months after his narrow, and some may say dubious defeat he ascended to the throne when Mr. Khan resigned after several clubs lodged a no confidence vote against him (Khan). By then, the sport was experiencing fluctuating fortunes with administrators and boxers alike in lost hope and despair.
Ninvalle’s first mission was to revitalize the sport which was literally ‘down for the count.’ He decided to place emphasis on the nursery sector. “I always felt that the talent was among the youngsters and the plan was to plug the bulk of our resources into this sector,” Ninvalle explained. That was some years ago and since then the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA), since rechristened the GBA, has partnered with beverage giants, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) for a yearly U-16 boxing championships which has produced notable stalwarts the likes of Flyweight boxer, Keevin Allicock, Colin Lewis, Shaquincy Wright, Jamal Eastman and Christopher Moore. Allicock went on to win a silver medal at the Youth Commonwealth Games in Bahamas. Allicock also procured valuable experience boxing in tournaments in Chile, Mexico and subsequently, the recent Commonwealth Games in Australia.
With the success of the DDL programme, aptly named the Pepsi Mike Parris Under-16 Tournament, Ninvalle felt it apposite to spread the youth initiative and in 2016 staged the first regional tournament for Schoolboys and Juniors. The now annual tournament has grown from its humble start with three countries and this year the expectation is that 10 states within CARICOM will be participating.
“There must be a vision when we attempt to solve any issue. If there is no vision then there will be chaos. Our vision at the level of the executive of the GBA is to plough resources in our youth sector. We started that six years ago with the help of DDL and we are seeing the results today through Keevin Allicock, Isaiah Moore, Christopher Moore and others,” Ninvalle said.
In 2015 Boxing was also on the decline in many Caricom countries and the poor support resulted in those boxing administrators aborting efforts to host the inaugural Caribbean Development tournament. Aruba had agreed in principle to take up the slack but had to renege on that commitment due to inadequate finances.
The associate members turned to Guyana and despite the obvious challenges, like the knight in shining armor, Ninvalle rose to the occasion; 15 countries participated making it arguably the largest gathering of countries in Guyana for a sporting event. That event has left an indelible mark on the memory of the local administrator.
“It was a very challenging period. We dug, scrapped and begged in order to make that tournament a reality but in the end, it was successful and the Caribbean heaped praise on Guyana for being there when it mattered most,” Ninvalle remembered.
There was much work to be done if Guyanese boxers were to regain the status of being the Caribbean Powerhouses. Realizing the importance of broad based inclusivity, Ninvalle then joined with the Ministry of Social Cohesion and ventured into the Guyanese rural communities as well as the far flung interior savannahs. With the Support of Minister Dr. George Norton there was last year an implementation of a decentralizing programme where former professional pugilist, Orland Rogers, commenced an expedition into rural Guyana to tutor interested youngsters in the sport. Such efforts produced gyms in the interior savannahs –Mabaruma, Lethem, and Mahdia. Wakenaam, a community on the Essequibo River, was also targeted and for the first time in local history a team of those boxers participated in tournaments in Central Georgetown, chalking up a few historical victories.
Mr. Ninvalle fostered the decentralization of tournaments and residents of Buxton were entertained in the inaugural ‘Nuff Cuff’ affair. Consequently, a training team also visited Bartica but that venture failed to gain the requisite traction due to lack of adequate finances. The new crop of fighters emanating from Rogers’ training input was subsequently channeled to the national grid and many of them continue to make great strides in the sport.
True leaders lead by example and Ninvalle enforced this view in 2016 when faced with a paucity of funding to send a team to the Caribbean Championships. The GBA president undertook a 100-mile walk in two days from the Corentyne to the Capital City. This activity was organized to raise funds to facilitate a team of 11 boxers and officials to the Caribbean Developmental Championships in Barbados. Those pugilists went on to win 10 golds and one silver, while retaining the status of Caribbean champions.
“In being elected to any post in the executive you have undertaken to do whatever is legally necessary for the good of the sport. Our back was against the wall hence the unorthodox means of gathering funds. I must say that I also need the exercise,” The GBA boss joked.
Boxing cannot progress devoid of the referees’ input and realizing this, Ninvalle mandated the formation of the Referees/Judges Commission that saw a distinct improvement of officiating standards; top referee, Romona Agard heads that entity. In two years Guyana moved from not having a single One Star official to three at present. Ninvalle is confident that Guyana will have its first ever Two Star Referee/Judge in 2019.
In addition local coaches also benefitted from Ninvalle’s ‘developmental sweep’ when Sebert Blake and Terrence Poole clinched ‘Three Star’ honours (the highest level held by AIBA) after successfully attending the requisite courses.
The GBA President could also thump his chest after successfully completing several notable initiatives including organizing stipends for boxers through the generosity of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) as well as commencement of a process of recognition and renaming tournaments in honour of past stalwarts who have given yeoman service to the sport. Those benefiting from the initiative include Guyana’s first world champion, Andrew Lewis, former Commonwealth Champions, Lennox Blackmore and Patrick Forde, renowned ESPN champion and former world rater, Terrence Alli and Olympic bronze medalist, Mike Parris.
The experts say that hard work produces success and this sentiment has been effectively endorsed when Ninvalle’s efforts were recognized by his Caribbean and Latin American counterparts who, at a congress in South Korea in 2014, joined forces to make sure he became the first from CARICOM to be elected to the prestigious and powerful AIBA Executive Committee.
Three years later the Aries-born native of Beterverwagting was appointed to AIBA Executive Bureau, a powerful five-man body of the 202-nation AIBA, which makes decisions of world boxing between any two congresses. That same year the GBA was named Most Improved Association at the National Sports Awards.
Ninvalle’s tenure at the helm of the GBA might have been short in comparison to many of his predecessors. He has encountered many challenges but his achievements are meritorious and will outweigh any criticism detractors may want to throw. Quizzed of his future plans and projections, Ninvalle softly replied, “I undertook this job, uncertain of the difficulties but had committed myself to press on. We need a home for boxing and the realization of this is the priority. “ He was high in praise of his fellow executives who worked assiduously in support of his dreams and projections. “And I am gratified for their input as well as those of the corporate community, the National Sports Commission and the Guyana Olympic Association which has been the catalyst for the little I’ve achieved so far,” Ninvalle stated. “The road is still uncertain but you only fail when you don’t make an attempt. I will continue pressing on for the benefit of those young boxers.”
He took the proverbial knee when the going was rough. Now President of the GBA, Steve Ninvalle is back in the fray to beat the mandatory eight count and win the battle.

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