The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Patrick ‘the Centreville Assassin’ Strachan said it’s better late than never for him to honour his colleagues from the Bahamas boxing team that participated in the Florida Caribbean Golden Gloves Tournament in Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida in 1979.

A reunion, spearheaded by the Retired Boxers Association, will take the form of a luncheon at Bruno’s Restaurant on Arawak Cay on Sunday, November 21 at 2pm when Nathaniel Knowles, the first Bahamian to win a fight at the Olympic Games, will make a special presentation to all of the members.

Strachan, who serves as the founder and chairman of the RBA, said this is the first in a series of events being planned to honour and recognise the accomplishments of past boxers, coaches, trainers, managers and promoters in the Bahamas.

Wellington Miller, immediate past president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee and past Amateur Boxing Association of the Bahamas president, serves as the vice chairman.

The ABAB, now headed by Vincent Strachan, and the Bahamas Boxing Commission, led by Fred Sturrup, have given their endorsement to the event.

Joining Strachan on the team were Strachan, Lionel Glinton, Stevie ‘the Heat’ Larimore, Whitney Robinson, Winnie Roberts, Arthur Buchanan, Ray Mackey and Alvin Sargent, a coach, along with the late Sammy Whymns and Ben Miller and coaches Leonard ‘Boston Blackie’ Miller and Sonny Boy Rahming.

Strachan revealed that the idea was born in 2018, but after he was struck by personal tragedy – the loss of his wife that year and his mother in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic emerged in 2020 – he had to put everything on hold.

“We won several medals,” said Strachan, who led the team in capturing the silver in the heavyweight division after losing out to Adolfo Morel, who was about 100 pounds over the Bahamian.

“The whole idea for having this is for me to reconnect with some of our former amateur boxers,” Strachan said. “I want to fellowship with them and to provide them with a group photograph in a frame that I will present to all of them.

“It’s a reunion of sorts. It’s about 40 years later, but it’s a reunion of our boxing collegiate who we haven’t seen in a long time. I’ve spoken to several of them and they are looking forward to it.”

The event is not open to the public, but held specifically for the members of the 1979 national boxing team and their family members.

“From that time, we already had three persons who passed away, so we just want to give some appreciation to those who are still alive and at the same time remember those who have left us.” Strachan summed up.