Two US-based boxers for Mexico Olympic box-off
By Joe Chapman in New York
Guyana Chronicle
November 27, 2003
BROOKLYN, New York City - The Guyana North American Boxing Association Incorporated (GNAABA) plans to enter two boxers in the Olympic box-off in Mexico.
GNAABA liaison officer to Guyana, Patrick Forde made the announcement at a meeting of the body, Sunday, which was chaired by GNAABA president Seon Bristol.
Forde, along with fellow liaison to Guyana Colin Morgan and committee member Michael Carryll also announced that GNAABA would be staging boxing cards in February, August and December next year depending on the itinerary of the local governing Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA).
WBA junior welterweight champion ‘Vicious’ Vivian Harris and WBC cruiserweight title holder Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite, world rated boxer Raul Frank and other members of the governing council of the US-based body were at the meeting.
Forde said that there were at least two boxers who would be identified for the upcoming Olympic box-offs in Mexico, next February.
The names of these boxers are to be forwarded, in accordance with a request by the GABA president, that his body be notified of any boxers GNAABA identified who are willing to represent Guyana at the Olympic box-offs in Mexico since as no local boxer would be attending the Mexico elimination bouts.
Forde, who fought twice for world championship belts unsuccessfully, had earlier commented that Guyana should always be represented at the Athens Olympics as boxing had the best chance of getting medals at the Olympics, pointing out that Guyana's only Olympic Medal was the Bronze won by Michael Anthony Parris at the 1980 Moscow Games. Since then Guyana has won three world professional boxing titles, testimony to the strength of the sport at the international level.
Local boxers were virtually debarred from attending games where boxers would have to obtain U.S in-transit visas due to the continued absconding of fighters while in America which has caused a lot of embarrassment to Guyana in the past.
There would be another box-off in March in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil when local boxers would be sent by the GABA to try to win places at the Athens Olympics next year.
Should the boxers, based in the United States, want to also try out at the Brazil box-offs, they would have to go to Guyana and battle the locals there for a spot on the team.