Sports Scope

By Fred Sturrup

FPN Acting Managing Editor

Rather quietly, the Amateur Boxing Federation of The Bahamas' national program is climbing steadily. Today, four boxers are due to return from an invitational tournament in the Cayman Islands. Welter-weight Justin Sawyer and middleweight Godfrey Stra-chan enabled The Bahamas to draw 2-2 with the host team. Rashad Williams and Jamaal Morley were not successful in their bouts.

Recently Ronald Woodside competed in the Continental of Americas Junior Championships in the Dominican Republic. He did not win, but his performance was so impressive that the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA) selected him to a list that will be processed for special training in Abidjan, Ivory Coast for a month. ABFB president Wel-lington Miller announced the development for Woodside and expressed delight.

"This is big push for our program. Ronald did not win but his ring ability was recognized. He will get the opportunity to train for a whole month, all expenses paid, thanks to AIBA. All he has to do is take full advantage of the gesture by AIBA," said Miller.

The AIBA training camp is scheduled to begin April 4 and conclude May 4. Today also, elite boxers Carl Hield and Valentino Knowles are scheduled to depart for India and the Commonwealth Boxing Championships. Hield and Knowles are the top amateurs in the country since Taureano Johnson opted to turn professional. Thus far, they have carried the baton handed them by Johnson, quite well. After the Commonwealth Championships, the next big items on the agenda for them will be the Senior Continental Championships in May; the Central American and Caribbean Games in July; and the Com-monwealth Games in October, in India as well.The ultimate goal for the pair is the London Olympics in 2012.

Hield and Knowles have a very hectic and challenging stretch ahead.

Johnson has set the bar pretty high. It is now necessary for boxers to qualify for the Olympic Games.

Johnson not only qualified, but he won two high-profiled bouts in Beijing in 2008 and ended up rated the No. 4 welterweight in the world. Hield and Knowles did not qualify for Beijing but are well on the road to London.

"They will get the chances for qualification for sure. We have been very busy already this year and the pace will only pick up. The elite seniors will compete in a number of regional and international tournaments and continue to train in Cuba. I expect that this time around they will be ready.

We in the federation feel that both Hield and Knowles will qualify for London. We are hoping also for at least one of those in the junior program to break out and move into the elite senior program.

If that happens, it's possible for us to have several representatives in the boxing ring at the London Olympics," said Miller.

The vibrancy of amateur boxing program is praiseworthy. The ABFB is not in the upper category of the Ministry of Sports' recognized group.

Although a promise was made to elevate boxing to core sports status, officially this has not been done. Still, the organization perseveres despite a grant of a mere half of what the core organizations get. The program is bolstered by active clubs in New Providence and Grand Bahama.