Young boxers impress at Schoolboys and Juniors’ championships

The Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue came alive from Friday evening, and Guyanese boxers got their opportunity to take their competitive experience a step higher as they faced off with their boxing counterparts from around the Caribbean; namely: Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Lucia.

Participating in the annual Schoolboys and Juniors’ championships which was initiated by the Guyana Boxing Association just three years ago, both males and females took to the ring over the weekend to see who would reign supreme.
With the finals of the crucial events going down on Sunday night, the young boxers fought to the death to cop gold with an exhibition of adult boxing styles. In what was the most thrilling matchup of the evening, Light Fly junior boxer Richard Howard showcased exemplary boxing skills against Trinidadian Abdul Taylor when they met in the finals of their category. Howard connected punch after punch with the body of Taylor, tiring him out by the second round. To put icing on the case, Howard fired a sharp uppercut, sinking Taylor minutes before their bout was completed.
The young man’s overall great weekend and exciting knockout landed him the best junior boxer title.
Another shining performance came from Aleshia Jackman, who handed her Trinidadian opponent, Alicia King, a near fall within two rounds. The young woman took home the best schoolgirl prize, along with her gold medal in the bantamweight class.

Many of the supporters at the weekend’s events were impressed with the quality of the overall tournament. As such, several of the visiting coaches have expressed their satisfaction with the level of competition, and have proffered their gratitude to the Guyana Boxing Association.
“This is a wonderful programme, and I must say thanks to the president of the Guyana Boxing Association. A programme like this will bring many Caribbean champions, and with this you will find that countries from all across the Caribbean developing their youths. Cause without a programme like this, there wouldn’t be any exposure at all,” Jamaican Coach Gilbert Valdz proudly stated.
In similar fashion, Trinidadian Coach Jason Aqui shared almost the same sentiments, stating, “This what ya’ll are hosting is doing well for the Caribbean and the development of our young boxers. We have some young talent coming up, and tournaments like this, they need it.”
The successful coach even went on to posit that CARICOM could look into initiating such a competition. “Sport is a way out for many youths, and I think they (CARICOM) should get behind this and support it 100 percent,” he opined.
Among the Trinidadian top performers were Blessings Waldropt, who copped gold in the Lightweight category, and Faith Ramnauth, who also secured a gold medal in the Fly category. Jamaican Britney McFarlane was adjudged the best junior female boxer, while Mark Crawford walked away with the title of the best schoolboy in the tournament.