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Kingsley Goodison (left) helping a young boxer with his gloves at the Stanley Couch Gym in downtown Kingston. - file
More than 100 boxers are expected to compete at the Jamaica Boxing Board's National Amateur Championships set to begin at the Stanley Couch Gym tomorrow and run through to Saturday. The championships are being sponsored by Unilever, through its product Degree Adrenaline deodorant.
The boxers will be competing for spots on the national team to the next Olympic qualifiers in Brazil next May and will represent 12 local gyms, including the outstanding Bruisin' Gym from Stony Hill, St Andrew, Hard Knocks in Westmoreland, Job Walters' Gym in Montego Bay and the host gym Stanley Couch.
There will also be representation from a gym in Canada, the Dewith Frazer Gym, that is fielding a team of boxers who have excelled in Canada. Based on their records, they will be hard to beat.
"They are the best boxers I have in my gym right now. We competed on Saturday and then hopped on a plane to be here. My theory is, my guys are so good that I have no problem putting them into competition just before another competition," said Frazer, who represented Jamaica at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, California, and who coached the Jamaican team to the Atlanta Games in 1996.
"I'm confident they're going to win, I am confident in their ability and I am confident that the public here will see that there are some good Jamaican boxers out there."
silver medallist at the 2010 Ringside World Championships held in Kansas in the United States and 20-year-old Jhevani Dixon, an experienced fighter at 75kg with 38 bouts to his credit.
Carl Grant, coach of three-time national champions Bruisin' Gym, believes his fighters, including the talented Michael Gardener, Kestner Davis and Michael Holmes, will have the firepower to win a fourth title. "We are just going into it to retain our title and we just ironing out 'cause there is a little hiccup going on right now in Bruising Gym and we just trying to iron it out as best as possible to move forward."
JBBC President Stephen 'Bomber' Jones is very upbeat about the championships and the record turnout of pugilists.
"I follow the lead of the gym managers because they are on the ground and I am very heartened to see that everybody is on the same page in terms of trying to get their skills honed and trying to get to the next level and trying to represent Jamaica. If it continues like that there is no limit to where we want to go."
He was also pleased about Unilever's interest in the sport.
"We're very, very appreciative," he said.
Kingsley Goodison, chairman of the JBBC's Welfare Committee, revealed that the ring and seats at the Stanley Couch Gym are being renovated by members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) in time for the championships. The JBBC has also moved to allay concerns about the safety of the boxers and spectators who will be in attendance over the three days of the championships. The gym is located on Victoria Avenue in downtown Kingston, and with the general election in the air, patrons might be fearful, but according to JBBC Vice President Alexander Johnson, there is no need to be.
"The board considered for some time whether or not the security situation in the city should affect the scheduling of the nationals, but our second vice-president Derrick Robinson, who normally consults for us on security issues, made his checks and all indications are that there is absolutely no reason to have any concerns or fears about the national championships, as this time is not any worse or any better at any time," Johnson assured.
However, he did say that in the event that there are concerns, they have the necessary plans in place.
"Myself and the president have been reviewing different options. There are locations where we have had the national championships before that we can fall back to if necessary," he said.
