With the annual Caribbean School Boys and Juniors Tournament looming on the horizon, furniture giant Courts Guyana has put some power in the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association’s punch with a donation to the Tournament.
From August 16 to 18, Guyana’s best crop of young boxers will have the opportunity to put their skills to the test against their Caribbean counterparts, when the Caribbean School Boys and Juniors tournament is hosted on Guyanese shores.
The event, which is organised by the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association, has grown over the years of its existence and according to GABA President Steve Ninvalle, participation from 10 Caribbean territories is expected for 2019. However, five countries namely Barbados, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago and St Lucia have already confirmed their participation.
Speaking at the simple handover ceremony at the Courts Main Street branch, Ninvalle expressed his gratitude to the company for being consistent with tits support.
“The Guyana Amateur Boxing Association is extremely pleased that Courts could have come on board, with the fourth annual tournament. They’ve been with us during the Friday night fights and the first of this tournament in 2016 and stuck with us since then. So, we want to say heartfelt thanks to Courts; we do hope that they would continue to be with us,” he expressed.
On the other hand, Courts Brand Manager Odetta Aaron noted that the company has recognised that there were not many corporate entities which support the discipline of boxing and as such, Courts has made it its duty to fill the void.
“Boxing is one of the sports that we find in Guyana; that is not covered by a lot of companies and that is one of the reasons why we support boxing. We are happy to always partner with the GABA and this partnership will be continuing in the future,” she said.
Given that the Tournament approaches, Ninvalle went on to share a progress report on the 22 Guyanese boxers who are currently encamped. The up and coming pugilists are currently under the stewardship of experienced campaigners Clive Atwell, Seibert Blake, and Lennox Daniels.
“We are going through encampment and at the end of the encampment we will be selecting that team. As it is right now, we have over 22 boxers being encamped. It was a weekly encampment, but as of the 22nd of August the encampment will be continuous,” he disclosed.
Meanwhile, Ninvalle disclosed that an invitation has recently been extended to Brazil, while Venezuela and Puerto Rico are yet to confirm. He went on to share that female fights on the cards are a must.
“There will always be female involvement in all international tournaments held by the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association,” Ninvalle stated.
Courts’ Odetta Aaron hands over the sponsorship cheque to GABA President Steve Ninvalle
