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C’bean Schoolboys Boxing tourney renamed after Winfield Braithwaite
At a time when those in authority neglect to honour Guyana’s outstanding sportspersons by naming things after them, the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) has renamed the fourth annual Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Boxing tournament after Commonwealth Gold medallist Winfield Braithwaite.
GBA President Steve Ninvalle (2nd from right) is with Mike Paris (right) and Winfield Braithwaite (left) & Lennox Blackmore.
Guyana has won Championship honours on all three previous occasions and this year the Tournament is scheduled for the Cliff Anderson National Sports Hall from August 16-18.
The pro-active GBA President, Steve Ninvalle, explained that the renaming of this tournament was to pay homage and give credit to what Braithwaite has done, especially in Amateur Boxing.
“The only other Guyanese who would have surpassed him would be Mike Parris who went on to win an Olympic Medal …so going in our trend of recognising these Boxers while they are still alive we will be renaming this tournament after him,” Ninvalle said.
“We have named our competitions after Boxers, some who would have not have reached the pinnacle of their career as an Amateur but more as a Professional so we just see it as right to give Winfield what is due to him while he is still alive,” added the GBA Head.
“I would say Congratulations to him. Winfield has done a lot for Boxing…a lot for this Country. I was just a little child when he won the that Gold Medal in Canada but we can celebrate now and give him the credits that is due to him,” concluded Ninvalle, a former Boxing Journalist who covered Guyana first World title being achieved by Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis in Las Vegas on February 17, 2001.
Now 65, Braithwaite was a light-welterweight Boxer, who won Gold at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Canada defeating Alec Leatherday of Australia, Baba Sumaila of Ghana, Michael Mwangi of Kenya before knocking out James Douglas of Scotland in the first round in the Final
This was the first gold medal won by a Guyanese athlete at the Commonwealth Games since runner Phil Edwards won the 880 yards in 1934.
When Braithwaite returned to Guyana with the Commonwealth Gold medal, President Burnham, the last Guyana President to place any real importance on Sports, arranged a motorcade around Georgetown for Braithwaite to show off his Medal.
Braithwaite moved to the USA in 1980 and retired after being unbeaten in a fairly short Professional career. The only occasion he failed to win was his draw against fellow Guyanese ‘Teacher’ McKenzie on debut in 1979.
The GBA has affixed names of outstanding Guyanese pugilists to all of their local tournaments.
The National Novice is named after Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis who won Guyana’s first World title, the National Intermediate is named after Lennox Blackmoore who only had one Amateur fight, the National Open after Terrence Ali who fought three times for World titles and the Pepsi U-16 tournament after Mike Parris, the only Boxer from the English speaking Caribbean to win an Olympic Medal when he won Bronze in 1980 in Moscow.
(Sean Devers)
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