Regional Boxing heads laud the initiative of Financial Medals for boxers

Dec 25, 2022 Sports

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Kaieteur News – The effusive praise for the Steve Ninvalle led Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) on its historic decision to financially compensate pugilists at the Terrence Ali National Open continued, as several Caribbean Association Presidents have regarded the move as a pivotal and positive step for the discipline in the region.

The adulation emanated from the boxing association leadership of Bahamas, Grenada, St Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, who aptly described the move of the local association as a benchmark decision for CARICOM and further afield. The quintet further revealed that the adoption of a similar mechanism is in the pipeline for their respective associations.

The GBA, in a move to further incentivize and develop the discipline, enacted the decision to financially compensate the top three finishers (Gold, Silver, and Bronze) within each weight class of the Elite Division, which is the crème de crème of the local amateur circuit.

The decision was inspired by the historic move by the IBA to increase the prize pool by a mammoth 50% for the 2023 World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from May 1-14.

Grenada Boxing Association boss Neil Roberts said, “The initiative taken by Mr. Ninvalle is indeed a move in the right direction for amateur boxing. This idea is also championed by our parent body IBA to also give monetary awards at its flagship competitions. Boxing Association of Grenada hasn’t yet started giving monetary awards but discussions are on the table for near future gestures of same. This will enable the sport to gain much more interest especially boxing being the most grassroots of the known sporting disciplines around. The upcoming boxers can see family support, making an earnings even before turning pro in the sport. This is a hallmark for our beloved sport of boxing. Mr. Ninvalle has always shown great leadership for our Caribbean Boxing Family and always seeks to encourage us to be on top of our Sport by being innovative, also being up to standard with the changes and best practices to meet, encourage and keep our boxers in check.”

By the same token, President of Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Association Cecil Forde, referred to as the ‘Elder Statesman’ of regional boxing, declared, “The TTBA is in full support of the initiative that the GBA has taken. IBA, our world governing body, is leading this initiative as prize money is now being offered at all major events being hosted by IBA. The TTBA will be following the GBA. It takes years of dedication and sacrifice for a boxer to reach the Olympics, in the Caribbean we treat it as a hobby. This has to change, sports is a billion dollar industry. I applaud Mr. Ninvalle and the Guyana Boxing Association.”

Similarly, Vincent Strachan, the Bahamas Boxing Federation principal, said, “I firmly believe that this is the right thing to do and what the President and the GBA has done was basically follow in the footsteps of our governing body IBA which started the same process a year ago at the World Games in Belgrade, Serbia. As you may be aware many of our boxers or all of our boxers never got any financial compensation while they were at the Elite or what they call Amateur level. I want to make it clear that at a recent congress in Abu Dhabi, the President of IBA said that there is no amateur boxing, there is simply boxing from top to bottom. So the fact that Mr. Ninvalle has made this historical move in the Caribbean to compensate his boxers, I think that is the right thing to do.”

He further said, “The Bahamas is looking forward to following the same pattern and when we host an event and the finances become available we will certainly compensate our boxers. This is the way to go, this is the right way to go. Far too long our boxers have been in the vineyard without being compensated for their hard work and so the time has come and there is no turning back now that all boxers will receive compensation and remember that boxers training is not an easy load of work. It takes a lot of time, a lot of sacrifice in many ways so I salute President Ninvalle for their great initiative, this bold move that he made and yes the Bahamas will indeed follow in those same areas of compensation in terms of how we treat our boxers. We will even go to the point of compensating visiting boxers as well when we have an event because it’s the right thing to do. It is truly the right thing to do so I hope the Guyana community will see the necessity.”

According to Strachan, this novel initiative will create the possibility to preserve and increase the boxing pool, adding that financial incentives would afford the pugilists the avenue to earn, and that, “Once again the Bahamas is in concurrence with this move and we look forward to following in the same footsteps. I salute my brother, it’s great work. Keep it up.”

Moreover, David Christopher, President of the Saint Lucia Boxing Association, posited, “I think it’s a very historic moment for the Caribbean and boxing. Mr. Ninvalle is always an initiator, he always leads and the rest is going to follow. I think it’s a good benchmark for us in the Caribbean to start giving our boxers some kind of incentive especially at those kinds of events like the Nationals to show our appreciation so we are definitely going to follow suit.”

Christopher further stated, “We are going to have our Nationals in February and we will do the same thing, we will be giving our prize money to the Elite boxers so I want to say hats off to Mr. Ninvalle and the GBA for leading the way. It’s the first time in the English speaking Caribbean that boxers were financially rewarded and I think it’s a good way forward. IBA is now doing that around the world, giving out big incentives to boxers. If you remember Desmond Amsterdam won US$2,500 at the AMBC championships down in Ecuador, we saw Trinidad’s Nigel Paul winning US$25,000 for a bronze at the World Championships. Our money is not as big as that,   but, we are taking small steps.

“We will then later on take big steps. We have to continue to support our boxers and one day down the line we will be able to get big sponsors coming in and support us in a big way and give us big prize monies but small steps make big steps,” Christopher concluded.

Furthermore, Suriname Boxing Association (SUBOBO) Chief Remie Burke said, “I know about this initiative because it is also in the plans of the World Boxing Federation, IBA. Nowadays fighters receive money prizes in other sports so all boxing associations are open to this prize money plan. However we can’t do it in all tournaments, only the big tournament and the organizations have to collect the money first. Suriname is positive about this idea.”

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