By Steve Ninvalle
Stabroek News
May 20, 2001
The Young Achievers Gym which has groomed several of Guyana's top boxers was yesterday renamed the Andrew Lewis Gym.
A new gym will be rebuilt on the present site and will cost the government of Guyana aproximately nine to 12 million dollars.
Ministerial adviser Odinga Lumumba said that the gym should be finished within six to eight months and will include modern facilities.
It is expected to be completed before year's end and will be fully equipped.
"This gym will have a laundry room, facilities for men and women and an executive room," Lumumba said
The project has been undertaken by the government through the Youth Choice Programme in recognition of Lewis who became the first boxer from this country to win a world title.
"We chose this gym because of `Sixhead'. This is where he trained. This is in dedication to him. This is our way of paying him back," Lumumba told Stabroek Sport in an interview.
"I don't know of another gym in Guyana that has produced the success as this gym." The gym was known as the Young Achievers Gym and to some simply as `Canchie' Gym.
George `Canchie' Oprecht has been its trainer for more than 15 years and has seen many future world raters passing through his hands.
Lumumba declared that a contractor for the project will be known by the end of next week and work will commence shortly afterwards.
Yesterday's ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Sam Hinds, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Gail Teixeira, Andrew Lewis, Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green, Oprecht, president of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control K.D Persaud and treasurer Andrew Thorne.
In a short and fiery address, Green declared that the contractor will have to be closely monitored to effect a scheduled finishing of the gym.
"You have to put `moe' fire on the contractor to make sure this gym is finished before the end of this year," Green told the gathering.
Also named after Lewis was the square in front of the gym which Lumumba said will be know as Andrew Lewis Square.