GBA Executives pleased with Guyanese performance at OECS Boxing Championships

Following Guyana’s outstanding campaign in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Boxing Championship, last weekend, Executive members of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) have expressed their appreciation for the stellar performances put on by the Guyanese pugilists in St Lucia.
While the Guyanese came away with six medals and a second-place finish in the Invitational category; Abiola Jackman and Ryan Rogers snatched individual awards for best female boxer and best youth boxer respectively.
GBA’s Technical Director, Terrence Poole shared that, “It was a good outing because all six came back with medals; we went for the exposure, which was the primary goal, and I think the performance was good. I think it was good for boxing in Guyana and the Caribbean. Trinidad had a very large contingent; they carried about 16 individuals, and we didn’t carry as much, and they would have been in all the different categories. We wanted to support the event, and it’s a developmental competition. We used the opportunity and expose some of our boxers.”

He further said, “This coming Saturday, we will be staging another U-16 Championship at the Andrew “Six Head” Lewis gym, and from that we will select the team for the Caribbean Championship.”
GBA President Steve Ninvalle disclosed that the Association was able to achieve one of its objectives by sending the team to the competition.
“Once again, we have achieved our primary objective, which is the exposure of emerging talents to the rigours and intricacies of international competition. While our participation centred on supporting the St Lucia federation in their bid to improve the quality of the event, for us, a tournament of this nature falls into the developmental category, especially in light of the impending Caribbean Championships, which will feature most of the participants from the event,” Ninvalle related.
The GBA boss went on to share, “We are proud of the team’s performance, as it highlights the continuous advancement and strides that are being made by the GBA, and we will continue to invest in our talents, fighters, and officials, for the foreseeable future, as we aim to maintain Guyana’s upward trajectory in the discipline within the English-speaking Caribbean. Congratulations are in order for a successful campaign.”
Aside from Jackman (Elite – Gold) and Rogers (Schoolboys – Gold); Alesha Jackman, middleweight (Elite – Gold); Shakquain James, lightweight (Junior – Gold); Angelina Rogers, bantamweight (Junior – Silver); and Junior Madray, 31-33 kg (Schoolboys – Silver) were the pugilists on show for Guyana.
Trinidad and Tobago were first in the Invitational category with 33 points from a 16-member contingent, while Guyana accumulated 14 points from their six-member contingent. Barbados rounded out the top three with 13 points.
The OECS Championship featured participation from several nations, some of whom will participate at the impending Caribbean Schoolboys and Junior Championships in Guyana.