The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IT’S on.

Former amateur/professional boxer turned coach Valentino Knowles, assisted by Ronn Rodgers, heads a delegation of seven amateur boxers in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the final qualification round of the 2016 Olympic Games.

The contingent left town on Friday night and is slated to compete from June 16-25. The team is scheduled to return on June 27.

The boxers are hoping that they can get some qualifiers to go along with the competitors, who are expected to represent the Bahamas in athletics (track and field), swimming and rowing when the games are held August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“As the captain of the ship, I’m not going on the ship unless everybody is prepared and everything is in good order,” Knowles said. “We have been training very hard with Carl Hield being in Cuba and Rashield Williams in Washington DC.

“I was here training Keishno Williams. In the last qualifier in Buenos Aires, Argentina in March, he had a problem with his endurance and the will to put out under pressure. That is what we have been working on with him and hopefully we can go there and get the best results.”

Hield will compete in the 75 kilogram or middleweight division, Williams in the 64kg class or light welterweight, Major in the 201-plus pound or super heavyweight division, Godfrey Strachan in the 75 kg or middleweight division, Isreal Johnson in the 81kg or light-heavyweight, Rudy Regis in the lightweight and Davon Hamilton in the 91kg or heavyweight.

“This is the elite of the elite. This is not just the Americas. This is for Europe and everybody. This is a world qualifier,” Knowles said. “The top four in each specific weight will qualify.

“We are going as a team and just like any boxing gym, everybody in the gym wouldn’t become a world champion. So it depends on the boxer, how much they will put out and how bad they want it. If we can get all of our boxers qualified that would be awesome, but I have to be realistic. I don’t know if everybody will qualify, but hopefully we will get some of them qualified.”

Rodgers, coach of the Strikers Boxing Club that includes Johnson, Regis and Hamilton, said the good thing is that they are leaving a little early to get over the jetlag so that they can be better prepared to compete.

“Our boxers have been working very hard,” Rodgers said. “We had some good performances in the last qualifier and our boxers had some other competition since, so we feel that they are ready.

“Once we can get over the long trip to Baku, I feel that our boxers should be in a good position to compete. This is the final trials, so they all have to go there and perform. I think they will do very well.”

Major and Williams both indicated that they are ready for the challenge and looking forward to competing in the trials.

“We are planning on going all out and leaving everything in the ring,” said 30-year-old Major. “We have to give it our all because there’s no other chance after this. We are willing to die in the ring.

“We’ve been training all year round. But now we have stepped up our cardio to get our heart rate up and to be able to take pressure and to give out pressure. So we have been doing a lot of running, sprinting and sparring to get our heart rate up for this.”

Major, who has been competing for the past decade, said a lot of people believe this is his time to shine.

“I believe in timing and I believe in God’s timing. I had to go through some things to open up my eyes and I believe that this is the time for me,” he said.

“This is the last stage of amateur boxing. It doesn’t get any bigger than this. So I have to go hard. I appreciate the support around me like Rashield Williams and his work ethic. He has really motivated me.”

Williams, on the other hand, has returned home from Washington DC where he spent the past two weeks training. He said he’s looking forward to stepping it up for his second Olympic qualifier.

“I’m feeling good. I’m ready. I’m prepared,” said 26-year-old Williams, who have been competing since 2007. “I just have to stick to my game plan and continue doing what I always do. Nothing has changed. Once I do what I always do, I know I will be successful.”

As for the team, Williams said they have a quality group of competitors travelling and he’s confident that he, Major and Hield have an excellent chance to advance because of their experience.

Knowles thanked the Amateur Boxing Association of the Bahamas, headed by Wellington Miller, and the public for coming out and supporting them during their recent fundraiser in the National Boxing Gymnasium at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.