Regional Boxing Associations calling on Guyana to host Caribbean Championships

Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) President Steve Ninvalle is receiving calls from a number of his counterparts from around the region, requesting that Guyana host this year’s Caribbean Boxing Championships.
The Championships, described as an important pillar for the development of this sport in the Caribbean, have not been held since 2019.

Guyana was host to this prestigious boxing event in 2015 and 2018, and it is against this backdrop that David “Shakes” Christopher, President of the St Lucia Boxing Association, believes the GBA should host this year’s event.

Christopher’s calls are buttressed by the belief that the presidents of the Boxing Boards of Trinidad, Suriname and Grenada would endorse this decision.
“Mr Ninvalle already has the blueprint, the know-how and the experience, and I think that other presidents will endorse Guyana’s hosting of this event. So, I’m calling on Mr Ninvalle to come out and salvage that tournament, as the Caribbean needs to return with a bang to boxing,” Christopher has said.
With the Commonwealth Games and the Americas Boxing Confederation (AMBC) Elite Continental championships being some of the top competitions this year, Christopher believes it is important for the Caribbean Championships to be held this year.

“The Caribbean Championship is our Olympics. We have to make sure that the entire event is something that we will be proud of. My personal belief is that Mr Ninvalle can make this happen, he has done it before. So, at this point in time, I am throwing my hat behind the older and more experienced head,” Christopher explained.
This St Lucian boxing official added: “Our boxers are moving away from the sport and going into other (areas) and getting themselves involved in other activities that are not prudent to boxing. I think we need to get boxing back into the ring to save our sport.”
According to Christopher, St Maarten had been earmarked to host this year’s event, but boxing authorities on that island are facing some logistical and financial issues. This, he said, was ventilated on Sunday at a meeting of some Caribbean administrators. 
“Dominica was earmarked also, but I don’t think they have the capacity to do such (host the Caribbean Championships). So, we shouldn’t try to reinvent a tournament that we lost two years. This is where all the countries/islands come together to showcase our development and elite boxers. That is where we get ranking for the Caribbean. So, without that, it’s like we’re spinning top in mud – we wouldn’t get anywhere. So again, I am calling out Guyana,” Christopher declared.
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Association (TTBA), Cecil Forde, echoed Christopher’s call for the tournament to return to Guyana. Forde, one of the longest-serving boxing administrators in the region, has reasoned that it is only right that the return of the championships is placed in tried and trusted hands.
“This is not a time for us to experiment. The Caribbean Championship is serious business. I support 100% placing this premier event in the hands of Mr Ninvalle, and Guyana hosting the next Caribbean Championship,” Forde said.
President of the Suriname Boxing Association, Remy Burke, has claimed Guyana remains a close ally, and his country stands to benefit much if the tournament is held here.
“We just have to drive over. So, from a financial standpoint, Guyana being the venue is beneficial to us, as we can take a much larger team as against it being held anywhere else,” Burke said by telephone yesterday.
Neil Roberts, President of the Grenada Boxing Association, believes that restarting the Championships is a priority for the region. “At the end of the day, we want the championships to be held, and not have excuses as to why it could not be held. It’s a foregone conclusion that my support is behind Guyana’s hosting, as I personally know the level of organisation and what to expect,” Roberts declared.
Guyana’s position as the top Caribbean territory in amateur boxing was also used as one of the reasons for the Caribbean Championships to again be hosted where it all started; but, more importantly, there is this country’s $3.2B allocation for sports in the National Budget.
Meanwhile, in an invited comment, Ninvalle said the GBA is “honoured that some of the Caribbean (boxing) presidents view Guyana as the appropriate place to host the Caribbean Championships this year.”
“I’m enthused about it! Personally, it shows how Guyana is viewed in the wider Caribbean, as not just a producer of quality fighters, but also for its organising competence. The tournament is usually held in November or December, so we have a month or two to make a final decision. However, I would go on record as saying that Guyana stands ready,” Ninvalle has said.
Guyana finished third at the 2019 Caribbean Boxing Championships. This country won nine medals against a tough field of boxers in Trinidad and Tobago over four nights of competition at the National Cycling Centre (NCC) at Balmain, Couva.
Trinidad and Tobago, which had a field of 25 boxers, are the new champions, while Barbados pipped Guyana by a single point to place second. Some 17 nations, including powerhouse Cuba, had participated in the 2019 championships.