Manswell leads TT to Caribbean Championships

REGIONAL heavyweight champ Kerston Manswell will lead the Trinidad and Tobago team to the Caribbean Amateur Boxing Association (CABA) Championships in Nassau, Bahamas from April 20-27.

The 22-year-old Roxborough-born pugilist is tipped to retain his title, after a successful season last year, which saw him cop the silver medal at both the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England and the CAC Games in El Salvador. The TT team, which features seven juniors and a minimum of ten seniors, was named following the recent National Amateur Championships at the Cosmic Boxing Gym, Battoo Avenue, Marabella. Richard Straker of Sand City Gym was adjudged “Senior Fighter of the Championships” while Tahym Mohammed of Cosmic took the “Best Novice Fighter” award; Leeana Boodram of Phoenix the “Best Female Fighter”; and Josh Walkins the “Most Promising.”

Tigers Boxing Gym was awarded the Overall Winner of the three-day competition, after copping the most points in the Seniors Division with 15 points, followed by Sand City (8), Arima (5) and Cosmic (4). Sand City captured the Novices category with 14 points, one ahead of Biomel with Tigers third on 10 and Cosmic fourth with five. The Trinidad and Tobago team is: Seniors: Manswell (heavyweight), Terrence Wilson (heavyweight), Denzil Salazar (light heavyweight), Simeon Prince (middleweight), Marvin Granum/Jeziel Joseph (welterweight), Michael Springer (light welterweight), Azuka Mayo/Enos Marchand (lightweight), Devon Jones (featherweight), Ryan Persad (bantamweight), Terrence Lokai (flyweight). Juniors: Richard Straker (middleweight), Keston Burton (welterweight), Andrew Fermin (light welterweight), Kirt Blackwell (lightweight), Aaron Hassette (featherweight), Fayam Mohammed (bantamweight), Aaron Cumberbatch (light flyweight). Meanwhile, the Trinidad and Tobago Amateur Boxing Association announced that a 20-man squad will engage in a live-in camp at the Cosmic venue from March 10 to April 15. 

The group is Manswell, Salazar, Glenroy Anderson, Klevon Denoon (Tigers); Persad, Jones, Mayo, Mohammed, Cumberbatch (Cosmic); Hassette, Blackwell (St Michael’s School for Boys); Prince, Nigel Edwards (Mandigo Boxing Gym); Marchand, Fermin, Straker (Sand City); Wilson (Arima); Lokai (Revival Boxing Gym); Burton (White Eagle); Nick Boodram (Phoenix).