More than 30 young men and a few women, between the ages of 8-17 from depressed areas such as Albouyston and Sophia, are
squaring off in the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association's(GABA) Aca-demy at the National Gymnasium. The
programme which began on October 3 concentrates on teaching the fundamentals of boxing and the curriculum includes positions, blows and blocks, learning to box with the numbers system, footwork and hand coordination, estimating fighting distance, boxing the safe way, weight control, the history of boxing and etiquette. They are not only learning the basic skills of boxing, but they are also developing life skills such as discipline, dignity and commitment. President of GABA Afeeze Khan told Stabroek Sport, "It does so much for their sense of respect, confidence in themselves and it keeps them off the street and away from illegal activities." He said that the association is also getting involved in the development of every aspect of the young boxers' lives. He said that the academy is elevating the
participants and making them feel like a part of the society and that they can do better in their lives. The GABA president said also that the academic performance of the boxers is integral to their development. He pointed out that in days gone by boxers would leave Guyana to represent the country and not even know how to fill up a form when they get to the airport or even sign their names. He said that GABA intends to introduce educational and skills training but this would have to be done in phases. He said that even though some of the participants were sourced from the school system, many of them are also school drop-outs. Khan said, "We can't force education on them right now or they may not come back." National coach Evan Parris said the programme is aimed at conditioning the young boxer and inculcating in them the qualities of good sportsmanship, self-discipline and self-confidence. This startup programme will run for ten weeks but the overall process is expected to go until 2008. The long-term development of the participants seems to be the focus of GABA, but this will require considerable resources. Khan pointed out that the continued support of all stakeholders is needed to keep the programme going and to expand it further. Parris said that there has been a lot of interest so far and they just need to keep them motivated. Certainly from the look of things the youngsters seem to be very excited about the programme. Some of them no taller than two feet, while going through their paces, seemed totally convinced about their ability to be great boxers. The other national coach involved in the programme, Carl Franklin said that it is also important that the participants are absorbed into gyms in their areas. Khan pointed out that the association has been working to resuscitate the older gyms and facilitate the opening of new ones. He said, "In the past few months new gyms have been opened at Buxton, Bagotsville, Mocha, Leguan, and Sophia and we have resuscitated the City Constabulary and the Guyana Police Force gyms. Through these gyms, our schools programmme and the academy, we will be able to blood new champions." The community gyms have also been invited to join the sessions at the National Gymnasium. Former boxing champion James Walcott was going through the paces with members of his gym, Harpy Eagle, when Stabroek Sport visited the National Gymna-sium last Friday. He said that there is a lot of enthusiasm for the sport right now among young people. He reflected on how boxing changed his life for the better and said he is heartened by the number of young boxers who have been inspired to join his gym. One member of the gym Teon Dowding put it perfectly when he said, "Boxing keeps us occupied and off the streets."