Labelling the impending visit of former undisputed heavyweight world champion Lennox Lewis as a historic moment, the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) has welcomed the momentous announcement and applauded President Dr Irfaan Ali for his visionary leadership in recognising the celebrated importance of the discipline.
GBA President Steve Ninvalle
Born to Jamaican parents in Great Britain, Lewis, 57 – at the request of President Ali when he visited Canada, the adopted childhood home of the former champ – will visit local shores in a move that is expected to inspire the current cadre of pugilists and the next wave of combatants.
Dates are yet to be confirmed for Lewis, who retired at the pinnacle of the discipline with a remarkable professional record of 41-2-1 (32 knockouts).
GBA President Steve Ninvalle said, “This is an invitation for evolution, an invite for advancement. His Excellency, Dr Irfaan Ali has once again demonstrated the foresight, and vision in his quest to not only develop individual sports, in this instance the discipline of boxing, but the entirety of the nation’s sporting landscape and culture. The GBA commends this initiative, which advances and advocates the government’s position on sports via the construction of the sector and ecosystem via the established approach of inspiration.”
According to Ninvalle, “Local boxing is on the ascendency, that is evidentiary, and the visit of former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, arguably the greatest boxer of his generation, will certainly further ignite the flames of evolution. This visit can act as the catalyst for further evolution and inspiration of the combatants. Moreover, it can serve as the stimulant and facilitator for the evolution of Caribbean boxing, of which Guyana is at the forefront in the English-speaking fragment.”
He further said, “The visit of Lewis, as ascribed as President Ali, is part of the Government’s strategic exertions and initiatives to create a brand for Guyana that also encompasses sport and entertainment. Lewis’s visit is also an acknowledgment by His Excellency of the importance of boxing as an avenue for the development of Guyana’s international profile, as it remains the only local discipline to have achieved an Olympic medal, a feat which is also apparent and recognised in the English-speaking Caribbean by its solitary status also in this regard.”
Flashback: Lennox Lewis in action
Guyana is the only English-speaking full member of Caricom to have achieved a medal at the prestigious games in the sport. Cuba, however, is second all-time on the medal table at the Summer Olympiad with a record of 37 gold, 19 silver, and 17 bronze medals.
“Surely, his visit can only be viewed in a positive light and will add further flavour to the discipline, especially at the nursery level, which is the backbone for the sustained future of the sport in Guyana, and which has undertaken a metamorphosis and overall emphasis in its overarching development under this current GBA administration. The GBA commends the Government of Guyana for this historic and impending veracity, which also highlights not only the societal value and appeal of the discipline but its overall importance in the sporting history of our nation,” Ninvalle added.
