South American Youth Games: Harvey assured of medal at SA Youth Games

Last week at Olympic House, Liliendaal, Ken Harvey boldly stated that he would return to the Land of Many Waters with a medal, after competing in the 4th South American Youth games.
On Wednesday evening, the teenager ensured his statement would become reality, winning his quarterfinal bout, thus moving on to the medal rounds at the Games in Panama City, Panama.
Harvey, fighting out of the blue corner, took on Paraguay’s Edgar Miranda in the Quarterfinal of the 60kg weight class.
It took the Guyanese only two rounds and a several lusty blows to his opponent’s head and body to destabilise him. Harvey’s dominance caused the referee to intervene with two counts in the first round and another early in the second round. Following that count, just 24 seconds into the second round, the referee stopped the bout thus granting Harvey a win by the RSC route.
When looking at the judges’ cards, all five officials had scored 10-8 in the Guyanese’s favour for the first of what should have been a three- round contest. The Judges included Consulting Washington (USA), Celina Ortiz (Mexico), Maria Coto (Costa Rica), Omar Lorenzo Walker (Panama) and Julio Pizzaro (Puerto Rico).

An ecstatic Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) President Steve Ninvalle, praised Harvey’s efforts thus far, describing his achievement as a testament to their emphasis on Guyana’s Boxing Nursery.
Ninvalle said about Harvey’s achievement, “Well, we’re very happy that Ken Harvey could’ve secured at least a bronze medal. It’s what we expected and we do hope that in his next fight on Friday, that he can come out victorious also.”
“His victory and bronze medal have ushered in some new energy into the sport and I personally want to applaud his efforts. It again underlines the importance of us focusing on our nursery of boxing,” the GBA Boss added about their long-standing investments in Youth Boxing.
As Harvey moves on to the semifinals, he is already guaranteed at least a bronze medal as is the custom in the sport. However, a win in the semis will see him moving up to challenge for the gold.
The 60kg semifinals are scheduled for 17:00hrs on Friday, April 17. There, Harvey will battle Maicon Dos Santos of Brazil with the hope of progressing to the event’s final.