Trinidad and Tobago boxers in St Lucia for Champions of Champions

Four Trinidad and Tobago boxers touched down in St Lucia on Wednesday ahead of the Champions of Champions event carded for Friday and Saturday.

Joshua Lewis (75kg), Matthew Newallo (66kg), Chris Persad (60kg) and Neeraj Mahadeosingh (48kg) are joined on their quest by manager/coach Vicki Boodram and Dwayne Mitchell.

They gear up to face opponents from Guyana, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Martinique and the host nation.

The quartet recently completed a 14-day live-in camp at Cosmic Boxing Gym in Marabella where they worked alongside national coaches to prepare for the regional bout.

TT Boxing Association president Cecil Forde said competitions like these are beneficial to help elevate the junior and youth boxers in the region. It also augurs well for the athletes to gain much-needed experience against varying fighting styles.

“The Olympic cycle is every four years so after next year, we have to start to think about 2028. This is why we are putting our energies in the juniors and youth in the Caribbean. We’re having these tournaments on a regular basis.

“Guyana have been leading the way by putting on these tournaments regularly. It’s there that we earned four silver and a bronze medal last year at the Caribbean Schoolboys and Schoolgirls Boxing Championships,” he said.

Forde added that the St Lucia leg is a continuation of the programme and it’s crucial for helping Caribbean nations “build a nursery” of upcoming boxers.

In August, there will be a Continental Championships in Colombia. For the first time, this event will feature three competing categories; elite, junior and youth. This tourney is also a Pan Am Games qualifier for elite fighters.

Additionally, in November, the World Junior Boxing Championships boxes off in Mexico.

“We have a lot of competition for all three divisions coming up so we have a lot of work to do. We want to ensure they are fit and match-ready for the bigger tournaments,” he said.