Boxers gearing up for Pan Am Games Box-Off

Boxers gearing up for Pan Am Games Box-Off By Michael DaSilva
Stabroek News
January 17, 2003

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Guyana will be represented at the Caribbean Amateur Boxing championships and the Pan American Games Box-Off slated for the Bahamas in March.

At present, a squad of 16 boxers are in training, with the hope of being selected for the two championships.

Since its inauguration, Guyana has dominated the Caribbean championships and several boxers won best boxer awards over the years.

The squad which commenced training last year, is one blended with youth and experience and much is expected from them, especially Dwayne Crandon, Rayon O'Neil, Lennox Allen, Iwan Azore and Rudolph Fraser.

Of the five, Crandon and Fraser represented Guyana at last Year's Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England. Crandon also went to the Central American and Caribbean Games last year, while Fraser went to the 1997 Pan American Games.

O'Neil, Allen and Azore represented Guyana at the South American Games in Brazil last year.

The squad which is being prepared by a pool of coaches - Lennox Daniels, Terrence Poole and Carl Franklyn - will be trimmed shortly, and the size of Guyana's delegation to both the Caribbean Championships and the Box-Off, will be determined by funds available.

The Box-Off was originally slated for Jamaica, but because the Caribbean championships will be held in the Bahamas, the authorities are working towards hosting it in the Bahamas.

Another box-off is also billed for Trinidad and Tobago.

Stabroek Sports gives its readers at look at who is who in the squad.

Who's Who in C/bean, Pan Am boxing squad:

Dexter Marques
D.O.B. 86-06-13
Division: Junior flyweight
Gym: Young Achievers
Int'l exp: Caribbean Championships silver medalist (Grenada 2001).

Dwayne Crandon
D.O.B. 77-06-25
Division: Junior welterweight
Gym: GDF
Int'l exp: Commonwealth and CAC Games (2002), Caribbean gold medalist (Jamaica 2000)

Ryan O'Neil
D.O.B. 83-12-21
Division: Light middleweight
Gym: GDF
Int'l exp: Caribbean gold medalist (Grenada 2001) and South American bronze medalist

Eusi Watkins
D.O.B. 76-01-09
Division: heavyweight
Gym: GDF
Int'l exp: Caribbean gold medalist (1995)

Dwayne Schroeder
D.O.B. 83-11-23
Division: middleweight
Gym: GDF
Int'l exp: Nil

Yusuf Ali
D.O.B. 86-09-02
Division: featherweight
Gym: Forgotten Youth Foundation
Int'l exp: Caribbean gold medalist (Grenada 2001)

Iwan Azore
D.O.B. 80-12-28
Division: welterweight
Gym: Republican
Int'l exp: South American bronze medalist

Rudolph Fraser
D.O.B. 76-06-24
Division: featherweight
Gym: GDF
Int'l exp: Caribbean double gold medalist (Guyana '94, Grenada 01) and Silver medalist (Jamaica 2000)

Devon Harris
D.O.B. 79-06-24
Division: light heavyweight
Gym: GDF
Int'l exp: nil

Lennox Allen
D.O.B 85-07-01
Division: Junior welterweight
Gym: Forgotten Youth Foundation
Int'l exp: CAC Games, South American bronze medalist

Orette Harris
D.O.B. 77-10-17
Division: Lightweight
Experience: Trinidad and Tobago Amateur C/ships