Boxing can be a life-changer, says ref

Boxing referee Wayne Roberts says he believes that the discipline of the sport makes it a perfect tool to use to help steer young people away from a life of crime and violence across Jamaica.

The 60-year-old pointed out that if channelled properly, boxing can be a life-changer for many young people hard-wired to rely on violence when resolving their conflicts.

“When you can manage your temperament, and you can put it into a sport, and channel it the right way, then you are a force to be reckoned with,” said Roberts in an interview with The Gleaner shortly after officiating the second of four boxing matches in the latest edition of the Wray and Nephew Fight Nights series on Saturday.

The matches were held at Breezy Castle, in Roberts’ hometown community of Southside, central Kingston.

The father of four recalls how violence, especially during the 1980s, ended the lives of several friends because they “lacked the right influence”.

“Boxing is a very disciplined sport. You have to understand and apply that in order to achieve greatness. You have to be disciplined enough to train, be positive, and be consistent. Many of my friends, and young people today, don’t have that positive outlet to turn to, so this is why I believe boxing is perfect for mental development in certain violent communities like mine,” he said.

“I lived there (Southside) all through the 1980s during those volatile moments. I saw everything, and certain things change you.”

Upon his return to Southside, Roberts said he felt a renewed push to be even more involved in the lives of unattached youths through boxing.

The former St Andrew Technical High School student, who is yet to complete a year officiating inside the ring, is playing his part in that cause after joining the ‘Gloves Over Gun’ programme, which is spearheaded by president of the Jamaica Boxing Board, Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones.

“The programme aims to deter young people from criminal activities. Right now I am leading that charge, and my community is one of the many areas that I know I will be very active in,” said Roberts.

Currently pursuing a master’s degree in physical education at the GC Foster College in St Catherine, Roberts is also the sports coordinator at Genesis Academy, a school consisting of special-needs children located on South Camp Road in Kingston.

The experienced educator says he enjoys having a positive impact on young people.

“I am one of the new generation of referees coming into the programme, specifically aiming to go back into the volatile communities and really bring the boxing to the more volatile groups. My desire is to educate and edify young people, and through the advent of sports, I use that to show them that life is not just within our little community – the gangster lifestyle, and so forth,” he said.