EDITOR, The Tribune.
Kindly allow me space in your column to reintroduce the Retired Boxers Association aka RBA Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum to the Boxing fraternity and the public at large.
This organisation was founded in 2019 and chaired by yours truly. The vice chairman is Wellington Miller former chairman of the Bahamas Olympic Association and Amateur Boxing Association. Fred Sturrup serves as a director. Our motto is: Celebrating Excellence In Boxing.
I created this organisation out of a dire need to properly recognise the contributions made by our amateur, professional boxers, trainers, managers, promoters or anyone who would have made a valuable contribution to the development and progress of boxing to our country. Membership is open to all of the above.
Thus far we have held three events. In 2021, we held a 40th reunion and honoured the 1979 Bahamas team to the Florida/Caribbean Golden Gloves Championships in Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida. In June of this year we hosted the RBA Boxers Reunion luncheon and this month we hosted a Christmas luncheon. These events were attended by some of our outstanding amateur and professional boxers, trainers, promoters and Boxing administrators.
Among our future plans for 2024 includes the hosting of the inaugural RBA Boxing Hall of Fame Awards show. This event is tentatively scheduled for May. On the programme’s agenda will be the induction of the class of 2024 Hall of Fame awardees, 10 Outstanding Awards, the Nathaniel‘Nat’ Knowles Lifetime Achievement Award and the Leonard ‘Boston Blackie’ Miller Lifetime Achievement Award.
Also planned is a photo exhibition of 100 outstanding people in boxing.
Our website is up and running - RBA Boxing Hall of Fame.com, it has photos, a registry of boxers trainers and promoters. I encourage persons to visit the site.
We have also plans to build a museum to house and store our history. The goal is to make this a central location for boxing’s history from its inception.
Our organisation is non-profit. It is a work in progress. And as we move forward, more details will be forthcoming.
PAT STRACHAN
Founder & Chairman
Nassau,
December 20 2023.
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