GBA raises $200,000 towards St Lucia trip

There is good and bad news for the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) and its presence at the third annual Caribbean Development Boxing Tournament scheduled for St Lucia from Wednesday to Saturday.

The good news is: the association has raised a further $200,000 since a late appeal on Friday. The bad news? Guyana, the two-time and defending champion of the event, is still $2.8M adrift from the $4M needed to send a full strength team of 13 boxers to defend its title.

According to president of the GBA, Steve Ninvalle, today is a “make or break day but the association is still fighting strongly to make sure that we have a team to represent us in St Lucia.”

Ninvalle, who walked 100 miles last year to help raise funds for the tournament which was staged in Barbados, added: “We continue to work assiduously and will leave no stones unturned.”

Guyana’s contingent is laden with talent and includes 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games silver medalist, Keevin Allicock, along with national light welterweight and middleweight champions, Colin Lewis and Desmond Amsterdam. Allicock, Lewis and Amsterdam all returned with gold medals following last year’s championship in the ‘Land of the Flying Fish’.

Besides representing Guyana at the tournament, Ninvalle highlighted an added incentive for the pugilists to lace it up in St Lucia. “

“Many of these boxers would use that for training for the all-important CAC Qualifiers in Mexico next year, so that adds a bit more importance to it.”

David ‘Shakes’ Christopher, President of the St Lucia Boxing Association stated that the entire Caribbean is waiting on Guyana. Christopher further stated that it would be very disappointing if the powerhouse of the Region was unable to send a full-strength unit.