Prize money available for National Boxing Championships

— as Ninvalle looks to replicate AIBA’s ‘money move’

Amateur Boxing the world over has gotten a bit spicier in recent weeks, since it was announced that the medalists at the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) World Boxing Championships would walk away with enticing cash prizes.
With a team of Guyanese boxers gearing up to throw their best punches in Serbia later this month at these Championships, the stakes have been raised in a move that is being welcomed by Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) President Steve Ninvalle, who is fixated on emulating it locally.
The event, scheduled for October 24 to November 6 in Belgrade, Serbia, will see the gold medalists receiving US$100,000, silver medalists US$50,000, and bronze medalists US$25,000.

With four Guyanese boxers currently preparing for the tournament: Keevin Allicock (Featherweight), Colin Lewis (Light Welterweight), Desmond Amsterdam (Middleweight) and Dennis Thomas (Light Heavyweight), Guyana Boxing Association President Steve Ninvalle is elated at the development
“Well, we’re very happy that AIBA would have seen the need to provide monetary prizes in the World Championships. It’s the first time in the 75-year history of AIBA that this is happening. What the AIBA President (Umar Kremlyov) has said, he’s calling on all the National Associations to follow suit,” Ninvalle said in a comment invited by Guyana Times Sport.
As such, Ninvalle is looking to adopt the ‘prize money’ template at Guyana’s National Championships. Ninvalle declared, “And Guyana will be doing so at our next National Championships.”
The GBA President went on to disclose that the development is one that is being considered at the Caribbean level, since it is good for the sport. He divulged, “Not only at the World Championships, at our Caribbean level too, there will be monetary prizes. So, it gives them something to work towards. This is an added incentive, and I think it will do good for our sport.”

Looking at the sums of money involved, Ninvalle reasoned that it is a great incentive that would hold the attraction of boxers to the amateur level for much longer than is now customary.
“This will re-energise the sport. When I say the sport, I mean the amateur aspect of boxing. It also puts us on the same footing with the professional aspect, because there are now monetary prize monies. US$100,000 is approximately $20 million Guyana dollars. To have any of our boxers just winning a bronze medal, it’s Gy$5M,” he shared.
Ninvalle added, “I’m not sure how many in the professional field from Guyana would have been able to earn that much. But it also says that we may find our boxers in our segment of the sport remaining in amateur a bit longer.”
The boxing quartet will be accompanied to the international competition by three-star Coach Sebert Blake.