Tavares-Finson: Contender series critical to our plans

André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

Boxing, once one of the most popular sports on the island is beginning to reclaim its position among the populace, a development that president of the Jamaica Boxing Board of Control, William Tavares-Finson, credits largely to the growing interest in the television series The Contender.

While highlighting the board's efforts in adding life to the sport among the amateur ranks, Tavares-Finson believes that the all-action night-time series has not only sparked renewed interest in the sport among Jamaicans, from all walks of life, but that it has also given the local amateurs something to look forward to while keeping the professionals engaged.

"The series is a critical element to our plans because what we had been doing for the large part was focusing on the amateurs and rebuilding the sport," said Tavares-Finson.

"What was really happening was that we were putting our efforts mainly in the amateurs when we have the cards and so forth, but people don't really see them. We have been having about eight cards a year through the board and also through promoters for amateurs."

Tavares-Finson pointed out that prior to the series, local boxers, especially those who were considered professionals, were largely inactive, a situation that not only discouraged the pros but also led the amateurs to question the justifiability of their efforts to join the local professional ranks.

developing talent

"We took about two to three years to build the amateurs which in turn has provided the impetus for the professionals and the chance for them to shine," Tavares-Finson pointed out. "Before this series they (professional boxers) really weren't doing much and a lot of them were just sitting around and wondering about their future."

"This series goes hand-in-hand with our ambitions, it helps us to keep the enthusiasm among the amateurs who now have something that they can look forward to as well and it keeps the pros active," Tavares-Finson reasoned.

"A couple of years ago we had about 20 boxers or so training full time and a few of them were professionals, so you are looking at a programme that was essentially dying or as people would say, nothing was happening. This goes a long way in keeping us where we need to be," he added.

However, there is still work to be done for Tavares-Finson and his fellow administrators, and he is hoping to start with the technical aspect of the sport with plans afoot to refresh the local coaches with new training techniques. The president is also hoping to see more gyms open across the island.

"We have to step up the level of coaching in Jamaica. The guys are out there doing their best and they have a lot of heart, but we have to bring them up to speed with what's happening in terms of the technical aspect of the sport," Tavares-Finson said. "We have not been able to fill that void yet, but the Jamaica Olympic Association is going to try to help us by getting a coach through the Olympic Solidarity and we will be coaching the coaches, that's part of the plans we have for this year."

"We also need to try and get some more gyms around. It's not something we are going to rush into and then we don't have proper training in place for them," he added.