6 months ago
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PRESIDENT OF the Pan American Boxing Confederation, Elise Seignolle, has mimicked the sentiment of World Boxing boss Boris van der Vorst in lauding the ‘Gloves Over Guns Futures’ initiative, the last iteration of which was held on Saturday night at the Stanley Couch Gym in Parade Gardens, Kingston.
Seignolle praised the initiative as an important event for grassroots boxing in Jamaica.
“It is very important to have this, because these types of initiatives are more than just boxing, it is life support. It exists here in Jamaica, it exists in Barbados, and there are similar programmes in the United States as well,” Seignolle, who had been in the island since last week, said.
Van der Vorst was in the island in March and voiced similar sentiments, saying the Gloves over Guns programme was also something to be emulated.
On Saturday night, the Pan Am president was left impressed with the boxing on display and explained the Gloves Over Guns initiative can stand as an example for other associations in the Caribbean to emulate.
“I think, given the success that it has in Jamaica, it can be used as an example for many other countries to show that boxing is not just a sport, but a vehicle for life,” she said.
“I am actually very impressed by tonight’s fight night. The level of the kids was pretty impressive. They were novices, some of them, and you wouldn’t realise that.”
She added, “They have a lot of poise, a lot of control, technically sound, and at the same time a lot of heart.”
Of the fights on display during the night, Jamaican boxers claimed four victories with fighters from the Cayman Islands and the United Kingdom claiming three. The Cayman Islands had two wins from two fights.
THREE CATEGORIES
The fight card was divided into three categories, with boxers placed either in junior, novice or elite bouts.
In the elite category, UK boxer Anthony Chaney just got the better of Jamaica’s Joe-var Hunt of G.C. Foster College by decision in the lightweight division.
The second fight of the elite category was an all-Jamaican affair as Christopher Pinnock of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) clashed with Tevoy Barrett of Suga Olympic Gym in the light heavyweight division.
Pinnock proved too much to handle for Barrett, winning by TKO in the third round, with Barrett vomiting in the ring during their bout.
Sadeki Harris of G.C. Foster College and the Suga Olympic Gym duo of Taffarel Cayman and Kashieve Nelson scored Jamaica’s other wins on the night.
Caymanian boxers Demar Robinson and Isaiah Hurlston rounded out the international winners on the fight card.
English (US) ·