Taylor promises $$ break for boxing promoters

NEW CHAIRMAN of the Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Board of Control, Melchoir Taylor has assured promoters that he will move quickly to alleviate their major concerns.

Taylor met with the leading promoters on Tuesday at the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, Duke Street, Port-of-Spain. Among those in attendance were international matchmaker Buxo Potts, Cecil Forde of South Trinidad-based Richford Promotions and young enterprising promoter Randy Glasgow. Taylor said after listening to the contributions of the promoters and their associates he promised to write Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Roger Boynes to have several matters addressed. Yesterday Taylor, a former referee who has officiated in world title fights, said top of the agenda is a recommendation to have several fees waived for the promoters. Among them is a $500 deposit when promoters submit cards for the Boxing Board’s approval. Moves are also afoot, Taylor said, to eliminate costs associated with the hiring of a bellman and weighmaster. “I have suggested that most of these tasks can be undertaken by members of the Boxing Board thereby relieving some of the costs associated with staging a professional card,” said Taylor yesterday. He said promoters also complained about the high cost of rental of venues to stage their cards including the Jean Pierre Complex at Mucurapo and the nearby Woodbrook Youth Facility.

“It was explained to the interest group that the matter of rental was way out of our responsibility but we will raise the issue with the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs and hopefully something can be done to lessen the impact,” said Taylor. He said he will also press for an increase in the $10,000 yearly allocation by Government for the Boxing Board which he deemed inadequate to fulfil their mandate to oversee the development of the sport. “It is not near enough to accomplish what we want. We have to go to the clubs, provide equipment in some cases, devise and execute programmes, attend overseas seminars so the burden is on us to work with scarce resources to achieve maximum good,” said Taylor. The Boxing Board chairman also promised the promoters to expedite the granting of licences of professional boxers, including females, to practise their trade as long as they fulfil the age requirement which now stands at 17. He also refuted a report carried in another newspaper that he had muzzled fellow board members from speaking with the media. “That is not true. Every member has the right to answer questions from the media but you must understand that the chairman is in a unique position to address some matters better than his colleagues,” said Taylor.