Confident boxers off to Bahamas

TRINIDAD and Tobago boxers are confident of dominating this year’s Caribbean Amateur Boxing Association (CABA) Championships in Nassau, Bahamas.

A strong 25-member team comprising 18 boxers, including three females and seven officials leave today for Nassau via Barbados brimming with optimism. Yesterday, Cecil Forde, vice-president of the Amateur Boxing Association said the fighters are certain to match and even surpass their achievements of last year in Martinique when each boxer returned home with a medal. Leading this year’s challenge will be Tobagonian Kerston Manswell, defending Caribbean heavyweight champion who also earned silver medals at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England; and the Central American and Caribean Games in El Salvador.

Forde said apart from Manswell, the TT team also has four other gold medallists in the ranks, heldovers from last year who are all expected to repeat their outstanding performances. “The team also has six newcomers so it’s a pretty young team aiming to do well and we expect much from them in the coming week,” said Forde. He also harbours high hopes and expectations for the three females in the team, light flyweight Leanna Boodram, featherweight Chickaree Valentine and light welterweight Ayanna Baney who will be making their debut on regional level when that category is introduced for the first time.

Forde said a six-week live-in camp at the Cosmic Boxing Gym was successful as all the participants are ready for the challenge ahead. Among them are Aaron Cumberbatch, last year’s “Junior Fighter of the Tournament” and overall “Boxer of the Tournament” in Martinique. He is slated to represent TT at the upcoming Junior Boxing Champion-ships in Romania. Forde expressed appreciation of the business houses who all contributed foodstuff to the boxers at the live-in camp and others who assisted in preparing the fighters for the Caribbean Championships. He said Government had contributed $94,000 towards the overall cost of $149,000 for the trip to the Bahamas.

The Amateur Association, Forde said, had raised and solicited $45,000 while parents and custodians of the boxers had chipped in with $10,000 to make the excursion a reality. Also accompanying the team is assistant manager of the Revival Gym in Port-of-Spain, Allan  Ferguson who is paying his own way to assist his club boxer Terrance Lokai. Lokai is a hot favourite to win gold in the flyweight division especially after his two commanding victories recently against Aaron Cumberbatch in box-offs involving the national team. “I am going to ensure my boxer gets the best attention and guidance to come out on top,” said Ferguson, a former middleweight champion yesterday. Competition gets underway today and ends next Sunday. The Bahamas copped overall honours last year in Martinique followed by Trinidad and Tobago with Barbados in third spot.

Team
JUNIORS:
Aaron Cumberbatch (light flyweight), Kurt Blackwell (lightweight), Andrew Fermin (junior welterweight), Richard Straker (middleweight), Aaron Hassett (featherweight), David Oliver (bantamweight).
OPEN:
Terrance Lokai (flyweight), Faiyam Mohammed (featherweight), Devon Jones (lightweight), Michael Springer (light welterweight), Joseph Straker (welterweight), Simeon Prince (middleweight), Kerston Manswell (heavyweight), Mickey Richards (super heavyweight).
FEMALE:
Leanna Boodram (light flyweight), Chickaree Valentine (featherweight); Ayanna Baney (light welterweight).
OFFICIALS:
Mike Jarvis, Mario Robinson (managers); Anthony Waterman, Vicente Martinez (coaches); Fitzroy Beckles, Dimitri Stroud, Errol Campbell (referees).