Inexperienced Guyanese pugilists finish second at OECS tourney
A Guyanese boxing team that fielded several first timers at the international level, finished second overall when the curtains fell on Saturday night at the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) ‘Champion of Champions’ Boxing Tournament which was staged in St. Lucia.
Team Guyana finished level on points with Barbados for the silver medal spot while the hosts topped the standings as Martinique took the final top four spot.
On the final night of the regional tournament, Guyana ended with a record of three wins and a loss.
Guyana’s Ryan Rogers defeated Shane Brandon of Martinique via referee stoppage in the second round while Shaquan James also forced a referee stoppage against Rayan Placid of Martinique in the first round. Female boxer Alesha Jackman won via walkover after her St. Lucian opponent did not enter the ring.
On the other hand, Zidane Wray lost to Barbadian Emerson Hurley via a points decision in a closely contested match.
In the opening night of the competition on Friday, Angelina Rogers lost to Auriane Bonvan of Saint Martin via a decision while Abiola Jackman defeated Marisa St. Catherine of St. Lucia, who abandoned the contest in the first round.
In a turn of events which set Guyana back, boxers Keyon Britton and Junior Madray did not get the opportunity to fight due to the unavailability of opponents in their respective weight and age categories.
Despite finishing second, Guyanese boxers took home individual accolades as Ryan Rogers secured the Best Junior Male award, while Abiola Jackman walked away with the Best Elite Female trophy.
Following team Guyana’s second place finish, Guyana Boxing
Association (GBA) President Steve Ninvalle in a release to media noted, “While our primary objective was simply the exposure of emerging talents in a competitive international environment, the resulting success of the team not only justified our initial decision but illustrates that the structures that have been employed by the association are vital to the continued development and growth of the sport.”
He added, “International exposure is a vital component of development and is required, especially for burgeoning talents that compete in disciplines that have smaller talent pools. This is even more critical in the female aspect, where participation is a major challenge.
The GBA is very proud of the team’s achievements and will continue to undertake similar initiatives and efforts for the greater good and future development of the discipline.”