The Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) is in need of financial assistance to send a team of boxers to the third Pan American Games box-off billed for April 20-28 in Trinidad and Tobago.
Speaking to Stabroek Sport yesterday, head coach Carl Franklyn said the GABA hopes to send six or seven boxers to the box-off in the twin island republic, but the number will depend on funding.
A 27-man squad was selected to undergo training with a view to being selected for the Trinidad box-off, and they began preparations three weeks ago.
However, Franklyn pointed out that the squad had not been together since they were identified, as some of those selected were from Berbice, Linden and Essequibo and were training at their respective gyms under their coaches.
Franklyn said over the past three weeks, those boxers from Georgetown and its environs had been training twice daily. Morning sessions were being conducted at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall while in the afternoons they have been using the National Gymnasium.
He said as from Monday, sessions will be held from 5am at the Sports Hall and from 5pm at the National Gymnasium.
Asked what criteria will be used to select the team for the Trinidad box-off, Franklyn said the GABA will stage its own box-off before selecting its team and the winners of the various weight divisions will be prioritized and depending on the funds, the final team will be selected.
The first Pan American box-off was staged in Venezuela last month but Guyana did not send anyone. Asked the reason, Franklyn said the locals stood better chance of qualifying for the Rio Games at the Trinidad box-off since it would involve CARICOM fighters and not the Spanish-speaking ones, including Caribbean powerhouse Cuba and South America’s Colombia and Venezuela. A second box-off is set for Argentina from March 13-19.
According to Franklyn, Guyana will miss the Argentina qualifying tournament and settle for Trinidad.
A team of boxers represented Guyana at the Caribbean Championships in Trinidad last year and returned home with 17 medals, comprising nine gold medals, six silver and two bronze as Guyana finished second in both the junior and senior categories of the championships.
The GABA also hosted fighters from Trinidad at a Goodwill tournament and the locals won six of the seven international bouts.
At the Venezuela box-off, CARICOM boxers, including the outstanding Barbadian Shawn Terry Cox, were unsuccessful at the first qualifier in Venezuela.
Cox his Barbadian team-mate Anderson Emanuel, and top Bahamian Taureno Johnson, suffered losses in their first try at qualification.
A Trinidad and Tobago quartet also missed out on qualification after exiting the competition early.
Cox, won the Common-wealth Championship light heavyweight gold medal in Glasgow in August 2005, and grabbed silver at the Pan American Championship in Brazil in October of the same year. He is a seven-time Caribbean Amateur Boxing Association (CABA) gold medalist.
