The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

A FIVE-member boxing team is in Trinidad & Tobago as the two countries host a pre-Olympic boxing showdown.

According to national boxing coach Andre Seymour, the Amateur Boxing Association of the Bahamas was invited by the Trinidad & Tobago Amateur Boxing Association to allow the boxers to compete in a bid to get them ready for the final qualification for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August.

Rudy Regis, boxing out of the 60 kilogram class or lightweight division; Rashield Williams, 64 kg (light welterweight); Tyrone Oliver, 69kg (welterweight); Devon Hamilton, 91 kg (heavyweight) and Keishno Major, over 91 kg (super heavyweight), left town on Sunday for Trinidad & Tobago.

The team, coached by Valentino Knowles and Kayla Johnson, is slated to begin competition tonight.

“This is good for us and also good for Trinidad,” Seymour said. “Trinidad wants the Bahamas to compete against because they know that they can get some stiff competition.

“Trinidad already has one boxer qualified for the Olympics. He’s a super heavyweight and will be fighting Keishno over there. He’s qualified in Argentina. So this will give Keishno an opportunity to see where he’s at going into the final Olympic qualifier in June.”

On Saturday, May 21, starting at 7am, the ABAB is scheduled to hold a major souse out at the National Boxing Gymnasium at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex to help defray the expenses for the boxers who will be travelling to the final Olympic qualifier.

So far, it’s expected that Major, Williams, Carl Hield and possibly Godfrey Strachan will be travelling to the AIBA World Olympic Qualification event in Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14-26.

Seymour said after all of the boxers failed to advance out of the AOB American Olympic Qualification Tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina in March, the boxers have been busy preparing themselves for the final trials. The Olympic Games will run from August 5-21 in Rio.