Boxing debut at Southern Games

FOR the first time Amateur Boxing will make an appearance at the 20th edition of Southern Games scheduled to begin today and continue until Sunday at Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre. This was revealed by Cecil Forde of the Amateur Boxing Association yesterday. According to Forde: “We will have boxing introduced to Southern Games for the first time this weekend.” The six-bout card will take place at the Cosmic Boxing Gym in Marabella from 8 pm today. And Forde promised next season at the 21st edition of the games, boxing will be moved to the main area at Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre. “However for the moment we are going to keep the boxing at Cosmic,” he said. Top attractions on the six-bout card are the contests between Terrance Lokai and Aaron Cumberbatch and Michael Springer and Edison Bonald.

Here is the six-bout card: Christopher Wolfe vs Timothy McCloud; Richard Boodram vs Kerwyn Wilson; Michael Springer vs Edison Bonald; Aaron Cumberbatch vs Terrance Lokai; Andrew Fermin vs Kirt Blackwell; David Moses vs Hugh Springer. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Patrick Manning will be patron of the Games staged by the Southern Sport and Culture Foundation. Action will be in cycling, boxing, tennis, archery, golf and rifle shooting. Competition in the archery, boxing, rifle shooting and tennis are currently being held during the “pre-games” week.

Cycling will hold centre stage at the Games as the wheelsmen prepare for the Beacon Insurance West Indies vs The World Series. Elisha Greene, Ray Phillips, Clinton Grant and brothers Joshua and Adam Alexander will form the Trinidad and Tobago team against riders from Australia, Europe, Venezuela, USA and the Caribbean.
Americans Mike Beers, David Wiswell, Ryan Nelman, Roger Farrell, Robbie Ketchell and Todd Yezelski, Guyanese Tyrone Hamilton and Jamaican Ricardo Lynch are among the 21 foreign cyclists expected to compete.

The Venezuelan trio of Ochoa Richard, Orosco Ruben and Canizalez Isaac, Jeff Hopkins of Australia, Belgian Nico Ruyloft, James McCallum of Scotland, Mark Kelly from the Isle of Man and Paul Shepherd of Wales are also expected. Completing the foreign invasion are Filip Sultr and Tomas Sarapotka of the Czech Republic, and the English threesome of Peter Jacques, Robin Thompson and Matthew Haynes. Patrons are advised that donations will be collected during the two-day event to assist Trinidad and Tobago’s first Olympic medallist, weight-lifter Rodney Wilkes, as well as ex-champion cyclist Hilton “Barracuda” Mitchell.

There will also be a queen show at the Games while door prizes will be drawn on both days. Admission to the venue will range between $10 for grounds and $35 for stands. Sponsors of the two-day programme include Petrotrin, the Ministry of Sport, Neal & Massy Motors, Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU), Penta Paints, Sissons Paints, Southern Wholesale Stores Limited and Paramount Transport.