Boxing association launches 2018 season with Patrick Forde Memorial Open
The Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) will enter its first round of the 2018 season on February 25 when it hosts the inaugural Patrick Forde Memorial Open.
The event which is organized by McDonald Promotions in collaboration with the GBA will host a total of 14 captivating fights including two female match-ups.
According to President of the GBA, Steve Ninvalle, there are expectations of boxers from Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname and St. Lucia gracing the National Gymnasium ring, Mandela Avenue. Out of St. Lucia, 19-year-old Nathan Ferrari is one of those expected to touch down for the showdown as he faces Guyana’s Collin Lewis.
Ferrari is taking Caribbean boxing by storm as he makes his way up the ladder in a bid to be selected for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo having a list of accolades which include: 2015 Creole Boxing Champion 64kg Division, St. Lucia Boxing Associa-tion Best Junior Boxer (2015) ,2nd Place Creole Boxing Champion-ship 2016, Caribbean Sch-oolboys and Juniors Boxing Tournament Cha-mpion 2016.
Ninvalle also said that there are discussions with Trinidad to send their top Bantamweight fighter, Christopher Defreitas to face one of the most potent Guyanese fighters in the ring, Keevin Alicock.
Alicock has had considerable success in the ring winning the Flyweight (52kg) division silver medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games Boxing Championship in The Bahamas (2017), Gold Medalist in the Caribbean Youth Development Tournament (2017) and the Terrence Ali Bantamweight championship (2017) just to name a few of his accolades.
Suriname is scheduled to send two boxers as well for the event which is sponsored by Tower Suites.Forde was a Guyanese and British Commonwealth Featherweight cha-mpion boxer who challenged twice for the world featherweight title, and who was credited with paving the way for Guyanese professional boxers that followed. Forde won sixteen consecutive professional bouts at the start of his career in Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Nigeria, between 1978 and 1980.
Tickets cost $2000 ring side and $1000 regular.