Two-day box off gets cracking today

Some 35 boxing cards are scheduled for the third Pepsi/Michael Parris boxing tournament which is set to take place at the Andrew `Sixhead’ Lewis Boxing Gym, Albouystown today and tomorrow.

According to Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) President Steve Ninvalle, the association is holding a two-day box off at the gym to select a team to represent Guyana at the Caribbean schoolboys and juniors Tournament.

That tournament will be held here from August 17-19 at the National Gymnasium where 10 countries will invade the South America mainland for the showdown.

Ninvalle said that the Michael Parris event will see boxers coming from seven of the 10 administrative regions of Guyana with the first bout set for 13:00h today. The GBA head noted that at the opening of the event, the Ministry of Social Protection has been invited and will give a talk on domestic violence to not only the athletes but the parents and spectators as well.

He indicated that this initiative was brought on because the association has noticed a rise in domestic violence and will do all in its power to help remedy the situation. “The Ministry of Social Protection will give a talk on domestic violence because we think that it is becoming an epidemic in Guyana. It will be for the parents and boxers and we will do whatever we can to stem the increase of that,” Ninvalle said.

 The competition first started in 2016 and has been developing since then.

“What we are really doing is zeroing on the nursery for sport in the Caribbean and there is no other like this competition. We do this because we see our boxers technically and tactically have some twigs we are trying to bend these twigs right now so when they get senior competition they will have all the necessary skills they need to succeed,” he added.