JBB prepares for ‘exciting’ N’tl Champs
Published:Tuesday | December 31, 2019 | 12:13 AMRobert Bailey/Gleaner Writer
With the country’s recent success at the Pan American Games and the Caribbean Championships, Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones president of the Jamaica Boxing Board (JBB), said he is expecting an exciting National Championships, which will be held from January 23-25.
Ricardo ‘Big 12’ Brown turned a spirited performance to capture a bronze medal at the PanAm Games in Lima, Peru, in July while Team Jamaica produced a strong showing at the Caribbean Championships in Trinidad and Tobago on their way to winning two gold, three silver, and a bronze medal.
The highly anticipated championships will be used to select the boxers who will represent the country in the Olympic qualifiers next year.
“We are very excited going forward to our national championships in January because that will show us the best of the best that we have here now and I think we are peaking at the right time,” Jones said.
“I think with next year being an Olympic year, we are very confident that we will have a team qualifying for the Olympics. We are not just looking to qualify, but we are looking to medal because we have never had a boxer medalling at the Olympic Games.”
Jones says that next year will be the biggest in the history of Jamaican boxing, mentioning that many overseas-born Jamaican boxers have already signed up to compete in the tournament.
“We have several that will be coming from different countries like Australia, Canada, the United States, and England. We have registration from those countries, so it will be very competitive and I think that is going to be one of the most exciting Championships that we are going to ever have,” he said.
Jones said that the local boxers have been training hard for the championships and they are now ready and raring to go.