AIBA to recognise TT boxing talent

Ten members of the local boxing fraternity have been selected by the TT Boxing Association (TTBA) to be recognized their stalwart contributions to the sport by the Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA).

In celebration of International Boxing Day on Wednesday, AIBA has requested every national federation select and nominate individuals from their federation to be awarded for their achievement and accomplishment of performance.

The TTBA’s picks are male elite boxers Nigel Paul, Aaron Prince, Tyron Thomas and Michael Alexander; female elite boxer Tianna Guy; youth male boxer Nyrell Hosein; coach Rawlson Dopwell; referee/judge Codrington Joefield; official Ria Ramnarine and doctor Dr. Marisa Nimrod.

Most recently, eight TT coaches received certificates at the Americas Boxing Confederation seminar for coaches on July 11. They are Olympic coach Reynold Cox, Dopwell, Anthony Waterman, Edison Bonald, Aaron Hassette, Ralph Peterkin, Alric Johnson and Michael Cromwell.

On the administrative front, the TTBA received its first international technical official when Ramnarine successfully sat the exams in St. Lucia in May 2019. Additionally, Dr. Nimrod became a huge part of the TTBA by lending her services to ensure the boxers always had a clean bill of health.

The referee and judges’ department saw Joefield leading his colleagues throughout several tournaments while James Beckles took the referee and judges’ oath at the Men’s World Championships.

According to a media release issued by the sport’s local fraternity on Tuesday, TT is now the top ranked country in the English speaking Caribbean and is in the top 10 in the Americas, behind the likes of Cuba, USA, Colombia and Brazil.

“In the AIBA 2020 world rankings, five TT boxers were ranked in their respective divisions. Leading the way was Michael Alexander at number 10 in the 64kg division. The others included Tyron Thomas (69kg), 33rd; Aaron Prince (75kg) 31st; Nigel Paul (91+kg) 35th and Tianna Guy (57kg) 33rd,” the statement read.

During 2019, there were several highlights within the TTBA. It was the first time four boxers qualified for the Pan Am Games. Alexander went on to grab bronze while several others narrowly missed out on the podium in hard fought battles. Alexander and Nigel Paul also won medals at the Independence Cup in the Dominican Republic.

Additionally, the collective national team, comprising of youth and elite male and female divisions, snatched the top spot at the Caribbean Championships in 2019. TT also took the Best Youth Award (Nyrell Hosein) and Best Novice Award (Stephon Cox).

Meanwhile, the TTBA has resumed its 2020/2021 programme. All selected athletes are being closely monitored by the technical staff. Its primary focus is the National Championships, Caribbean Championships, Olympic qualifiers, Olympic Games, AMBC Youth Continentals, Commonwealth Youth Games and AIBA World Youth Championships.

The release concluded, “There is also hope that the covid19 situation will improve soon and that permission will be granted to host competition and events.”