By RENALDO DORSETT
Sports Reporter
rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
THE Major Pain Boxing Club continues its efforts to impact the Kemp Road community by showcasing the boxing skills of its youth members.
The club premiered its series of exhibitions Saturday night at Salem Park dubbed the “Baby Boy Rolle Boxing Extravaganza.”
Club director Meacher “Major Pain” Major deemed the event a success because of the interest the community displayed by eagerly supporting the young boxers.
“The event was a success because the Kemp Road community came out and supported. A lot of kids came out, their parents were out and they were interested because they wanted to join the boxing club,” Major said. “Overall everything was great with the show, our goal is to try to rebuild boxing and use that to impact this area.”
Major’s club has hosted events which have honoured his self proclaimed mentor, Ray Minus Jr and now Rolle.
Abraham “Baby Boy Rolle” Kirkwood was a pillar of the Bahamian boxing and Kemp Road communities.
A light heavyweight fighter for much of his career, he finished his 22-year career from 1960 to 1982, with a record of 36-17-2.
“Every month in the Kemp Road community we want to have a presence and put on a showcase. Next month on June 3 we will do it again. Our next major event will be in July when we will be honouring Nathaniel Knowles. On the immediate schedule, Champion Amateur Club will host the ‘Sonny Boy’ Rahming show coming up so we will also take part in that. We just want to keep these kids as active as possible, summer is coming up so we just want to keep them as active as possible and give them something constructive to do that can help them in many different ways.”
In their last appearance, the Major Pain Club was the top point finisher at the 20th annual Wellington “Sonny Boy” Rahming Silver Gloves Tournament in 2015.
Knowles is another historic figure in Bahamian amateur boxing. In 1972, he became the first Bahamian to win a bout at the Olympics.
At the 1972 games in Munich, Germany, marred by the tragic killing of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches, it was a noteworthy games for the Bahamas because Knowles won a bout in the middleweight division as the Bahamas made their debut in the discipline.
He defeated Faustino Quinales of Venezuela via a first round technical knockout. In the second round he lost to Nazif Kuran of Turkey by way of a first round knockout.
Major, who turned professional in 2000 after a successful amateur career under the tutelage of Champion Boxing Club director Ray Minus Jr, recently returned to the ring last month with a second round technical knockout of Martin ‘Ironfist’ Anderson.
“With all of the problems going on in our country, I just want to be able to help the youth in our society. I just want to continue what I’ve always been doing with the youths in our society. With the club, I can get some more competitive boxers in the amateur system,” Major said. “It’s about that generation and inspiring them because the young guys I train they inspire me. There are a lot of great upcoming young fighters that are really sharp.”
Along with his club’s coaches and trainers, Major said the club continues its quest to positively impact the lives of inner-city youth.
“A lot of the young men are from broken homes. They are from areas I know, the Kemp Road and Mason’s Addition communities.
“Some of them, I grew up with their fathers and brothers who are now in jail and they have no real father figure to turn to,” he said.
“What they have is a lot of aggression, a lot of anger and boxing is a way to harness that and turn that into something that can one day profit them and their families. I know because the sport has done a great deal for me and it can for them.”
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