By WALTER ALIBEY Monday, July 27 2009

MEMBERS of the Amateur Boxing Association of Trinidad and Tobago (ABATT) are appealing to the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago to assist the country’s boxers in their attempt to qualify for the Olympic Games in 2012 in London, England.

Women’s boxing will be held for the first time at the Olympics and the top eight boxers in their respective weight divisions will earn the right to compete at the Games.

To date only two boxers from Trinidad and Tobago have earned qualifying berths to compete in London.

They are Stephanie Allen who is ranked No 2 in the Pan American region in the Pin Weight Division and Chimere Taylor who is ranked No 2 and No 7 in the world in the Middle Weight category.

Meanwhile another outstanding boxer Jamila Jones who failed to earn a place among the top eight in her division has been praised for her performances and is being looked at as a potential Olympic qualifier.

Female boxers have just two more championships in which to attempt to qualify this year. They are the Pan American Female Boxing Championship which is scheduled for next month in the United States and the World Games which will also be held in the US in November.

The Amateur Boxing Association has to date sent the country’s top six boxers in a live-in camp at the Cosmic Boxing Gym in Marabella in preparation for the championships.

The boxers are Taylor, Allen, Jones, Lisa Williams, Lee Ann Boodram and Latoya Providence.

The boxers showed their promise at the last Pan Am Championship at the Chaguaramas Convention Centre and at the Caribbean Amateur Boxing Association (CABA) Championship which was held at the same venue.

Meanwhile the ABATT will conduct its own summer camp for children in the schools’programme in both the North and South.

Interested persons can contact Cecil Forde at 736- 4715 and 658-0520. The camp will box-off today at the Cosmic Boxing Gym in Marabella for schools in the South.

A venue for schools in the North is to be announced.