Latest update April 7th, 2025 6:08 AM
C’bean Schools Boys & Junior C/ships starts Friday – T&T’s Beckles conducts 3-day Boxing Referee course
Beckles (sitting on ring) & local Referees having Lunch during a Video session yesterday at Andrew ‘Six head’ Lewis Gym in Albouystown.
By Sean Devers
Fifty-seven-year-old Trinidadian Boxing Referee James Beckles has officiated inside the Ring in over 300 International Boxing matches including the Beijing Olympics and five World Championships.
The former Police Officer is no stranger to Guyana since he regularly visits here, sometimes twice a year to conduct sessions as Caribbean Referee Trainer.
The Referee Trainer is here to conduct a three-day course for the 16 Guyanese and five Caribbean Referees who will officiate in the third annual Caribbean School Boys Championships which is set for the National Gymnasium from Friday to Sunday.
This is the only such Boxing Championship in the Caribbean and the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) has hosted the event since its inauguration in 2016.
The first bout starts at 18:00hrs and Trinidad, Jamaica, St Lucia, Grenada and the host Guyana will compete for Caribbean School Boys and Juniors supremacy. Stands cost $500 and VIP is $1,000.
The affable Beckles told Kaieteur Sports yesterday that the Guyanese Referees will attend all three days, while overseas Referees will attend the last day when they arrive here tomorrow for what promises to be another entertaining and successful Championship.
According to the experienced Beckles, yesterday the focus was on judging and scoring Amateur Boxing matches after the locals looked at fights on Video.
The Referee from Carnival Country was the third man in the Ring in one of the videos and stressed the importance of knowing what to look for when scoring a fight.
“Scoring bouts seem to the most problematic issue for the spectators and even Coaches since most times they seem dissatisfied with decisions and at times can be hostile towards the Referees when they make decisions they don’t like,” Beckles said.
Beckles leaves for home on Thursday before traveling to Hungry for another Boxing assignment and informed that tomorrow Practical sessions will be conducted while topics like the safety of Boxers, the basics, handling cuts and controlling the fight will be discussed over the next two days.
“Safety is very important since the main difference in stopping Amateur fights as opposed to Professional bouts is when the Referee stops the contest. In Amateur fights we try to prevent the Boxers from being hurt, while in Professional matches the fight is stopped because the Boxer is hurt,” explained Beckles.
He said the Referee should look at the eyes, knees and arms of boxers since this could indicate the physical condition of the Boxers.
Beckles, who been a Referee for 21 years, feels that the standard of the Referees in Guyana is high because Guyana has more boxers who fight more often at this level which is good for the pugilists and also the Referees.
“In the same way that time in the Ring gives the Boxers experience and confidence it does the same for Referees,” Beckles added.
He said he was satisfied with yesterday Video and lecture sessions which went past the scheduled 17:00hrs conclusion due to a late start.
When asked if he was a Boxer? Beckles laughed and said he was not, adding because a Referee did not show up he got involved in Refereeing by accident but does not regret a minute of it.
“I became a referee by accident. Before 1990 the Boxing Secretariat was run by T&T Police Force and they would organise Boxing Cards. I was at that time a Police officer and would help to coordinate the various Referee Courses and had done the Course since I was there.
One day some of the Referees failed to show up and knowing that I had done the course I was asked to Referee in one of the bouts and that’s how I became a Referee,” explained Beckles.
Beckles said he resigned from the Police Force four years ago to focus on his work as Referee Trainer and now travels to Referee and conduct Training sessions.
“I also love cricket and watched two CPL matches in Trinidad before coming here but the Knight Riders lost both of them.”
When I said Mr Russell was the reason Beckles replied: “No it was Mr Bravo who bowled himself at the wrong time and was expensive in both games,” which was the reason put forward by most Trini fans. He was a Boxing Referee who knew cricket and a true Trini.
Today and tomorrow’s sessions will commence at 10:30hrs and ends at 17:00hrs and Beckles said session like this one not only helps the experienced officials to improve but it also helps the younger ones.
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