The Lennox Blackmore Intermediates will now be staged at the Andrew ‘Six Heads’ Lewis Gym
All roads would tonight lead to the Andrew ‘Six Heads’ Lewis Gym in Albouystown, Georgetown, where the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) would be staging the annual Lennox Blackmore National Intermediate boxing Championships. The first bell is scheduled for 18:00hrs.
These championships were supposed to be hosted at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue from today, Friday November 8th, to Sunday November 10th, but the staging has now been shifted to a new location, and action would be seen only on Friday and Saturday night.
GBA President Steve Ninvalle
President of the GBA, Steve Ninvalle, has said, “While the National Gymnasium has served in recent years as the venue for this auspicious event, the decision to stage the championship at the Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis facility can be viewed as an opportunity to promote the sport within the community. Decentralisation is not only a reality of moving from one region to another, but also amongst communities within that jurisdiction.”
He further said, “We believe that this decision will bring a different ambience, environment and flavour to the event, which has not only improved in quality with each iteration, but also importance to the discipline. Like many sports in Guyana, boxing has always been community-based, and we believe that the best way to promote the discipline is to return to its proverbial roots, and what better way to do that than to stage a major championship at a venue that is named after one of Guyana’s most famous athletes, who was not only a world champion, but a son of that community?”
The event, which concludes tomorrow at the same venue, had initially been slated for staging in October, but rescheduling became necessary because of the unfortunate passing of GBA Technical Director Terrence Poole, who had been a vital cog in the administration of the event.
Participation has been confirmed from several notable gyms, including the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana Police Force, the Forgotten Youth Foundation, Pace and Power, New Amsterdam Academy, Rose Hall, Vergenoegen, and Republicans.
The official medical examination and weigh-in process for the event occurred yesterday at the Mandela Avenue facility under the guidance of trained professionals.
The tournament is named after former Commonwealth champion and world-ranked pugilist Lennox Blackmoore, who ended a celebrated career with an impressive record of 30 fights, 25 wins, and five losses.
