Boxing coach disagrees with DOC on competing in Rio Olympics

Coach Joseph (right) with Dominican boxers
Coach Joseph (right) with Dominican boxers

A coach of the Dominica Amateur Boxing Association (DABA), Job Joseph, is refuting statements made by Representative of the Dominica Olympics Committee (DOC), Phillip White, as to why two local boxers were not selected to be part of the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympic Games to be held from the 5-21, August, 2016.

In a recent interview with Dominica News Online (DNO), White explained that the boxers, Charles Leatham and Jamesy Greenaway, were not selected to represent Dominica at the upcoming games because they did not qualify on the basis that they did not participate in two recent games: the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the CAC (Central American and Caribbean) Games in Mexico.

He said Leatham and Greenaway did not qualify for those games and hence did not qualify for the Rio games.

But Joseph told DNO during an interview on Wednesday, that the boxers were never given the opportunity by the DOC to qualify and compete in any of the games mentioned.

“You have to be qualified to go to the Central American Games but there are three qualifications you have to take part in and if you win any one of them, you qualify, but if you don’t go to any of them how can you qualify?” he noted. “The players should be given the opportunities to take part in those games.”

He added, “How are they going to qualify when they were not sent to the qualifications? Right now there is a qualification going on in May and they can still send them.”

White had also pointed out that both boxers did not win their fights in Guyana in the Caribbean Cup in late 2015 but Joseph argued that the boxers should have been in Guyana two days before the competition.

“You have to be on island, at least two days before a competition, then you need a Doctor certificate saying that you can box, the Doctor has to examine the boxers, then check their weight,” he explained. “The guys didn’t do a Doctor Medication check and they were not weighed. They just sent them to fight.”

He said the two Dominican boxers arrived in Guyana at 5:00 pm and had to fight at 7:00 pm on the same day.

“After travelling for a day, you can box?” Joseph stated.

White had also said Valerian Spicer will be representing Dominica in Rio because she competed in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and won a bronze medal.

But Joseph pointed out that even if one participates in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, to qualify for the Olympics one must win either a gold or silver medal.

He said Spicer did not even make it to the top four.

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26 Comments

  1. Charles Leatham
    February 26, 2016

    https://youtu.be/IqG0vWzDMus

    View this link to listen to what Phillip White will not tell you…
    I will be speaking more on this issue….

    Dominica stand up, am doing this for our bright future upcoming generations and all those who were played same way by the same said associations…

  2. Slush
    February 26, 2016

    Check out my boy Rowain. Big props to you. Even move like a boxer in real life. Stick and move , Stick and move

  3. Charles Leatham
    February 25, 2016

    Charles Leatham

    Follow my facebook page 4 Seconds Leatham, I will be releasing a video at (8am Feb-26-2016) giving myside of this headline stating what I have to face with these careless People…….

    https://www.facebook.com/4secleatham/

  4. Dan Tanner
    February 25, 2016

    He’s covering up for the fact that he did not do his job and get the boxers entered into qualifying events.

  5. Jesus Christ
    February 25, 2016

    Because boxing is a foolish sport. Fighting with someone can cause their death. don’t you people have better things to do with your energy instead? Go fight against ISIS, it’s a global attack on innocent people.

    You mean when you beat up someone and get a gold medal for that you call it an achievement? Wow, Is time we ban that nonsense. We live in the Caribbean, not the Middle- East

  6. IamanIdiot
    February 25, 2016

    Hmmm…interesting yet sad. Funny how im sure they would put money for a “Ski team” in the Olympics but not support our own. As someone said apparently the only citizens we interested in is the foreign ones that buy passports.

  7. Just Me
    February 25, 2016

    Dem fellas looking good we all you :wink:

  8. Me
    February 25, 2016

    Valerian Spicer is as British as Baroness Scotland. She was born in the U.K., lives in the U.K. and does most of her boxing there as a member of the Islington (london) boxing club.
    But internationally she fights for Dominica. I guess they sponsor her. That is her choice but I suspect she would not qualify to represent the country of her birth, England based on performance. She represented Dominica at the last Commonwealth games, where she finished outside of the medals and prior to that at the World championships in Korea where she lost 3-0 to Katie Taylor of Ireland in the opening bout. The Dominica based boxers stand more chance to take part in the Olympics if they bought themselves a pair of skis perhaps.

  9. Know Your Role
    February 25, 2016

    Very proud of those with common sense that stick to the issue surrounding this story. Well done!

  10. Franklin Bruney
    February 24, 2016

    I approached your former minister of sports with a proposal to start a little league baseball program within the school program so the young boys or girls can meet and interact with other kids within the Caribbean and other world this was flatly rejected in favour of cricket. To Dominica Politicians say please change your mindset and give another sports a chance so your youths can possible make it to BASEBALL MAYOR LEAGUE ONE DAY, it all start from pin ball, little league and determination within the school program.
    Take Venezuela as prime example they have many Citizens playing professional Baseball in the Mayor League its time for Dominica to start the Program ,get help if needed it’s not about soccer and cricket only it’s about your youths being off the streets of Dominica doing something positive .

    • Pick-Axx
      February 25, 2016

      Do you know what it takes to make it to the major leagues?

      We have been playing cricket for many years. How good is the program in the schools that you see them playing professional cricket. There is money to be made in cricket.

      The West Indies team would be infinitely easier to break into than a North American major league baseball team. If you are talking about recreation to get kids active, I will support you 100%. But to talk about making it to the major leagues is a totally different story.

  11. disappointed
    February 24, 2016

    none of these organizations get things right. We allow these people to have the country backward. If at the sports division they cannot get a simple thing right, nothing surprises me. I am glad people speak up now, one person at a time speaking about these issues we will get somewhere. Personally witnessed something that happen in this year nbd primary schools boys competition under 13 where they just told the young girls who have been playing for years in the competition that they can no longer play for their schools. If their school doesn’t have a girls team well crapaud smoke their pipe. We sure know how to cripple our youths in this country

    • Suck Salt
      February 25, 2016

      This is shame. The Sports Division needs to do better than that for our youths.

  12. UDOHREADYET
    February 24, 2016

    The mechanisms for a successful boxing organization in Dominica isn’t there. One can train for years but you must be part of a system that actively tracks wins, losses, age, weight, compensation, promotion, venues, national competitions, regional competitions and the like.

  13. Sakwe Gas
    February 24, 2016

    Guess the only “Dominicans” we can invest in are those who can pay for citizenship and finance their own training and such.

    Hats off to you Job! I don’t know how passionate and dedicated people keep from going crazy on an island with such mixed-up priorities! We won’t invest in our youth, won’t try to push them fwd as much as possible, but let some foreign person with just some slight connection to the land ask for favors and suddenly we have money galore to support, celebrate, and parade them around telling people to be proud.

  14. mke
    February 24, 2016

    sports might just be the thing to get dominica ot of the financial crisis it finds its self in right now any chance to promote dominica should be leapt on we have all the good food fresh air and water give the guys the opportunity let them be rolemodels for other youths which young person wouldn’t want to represent dominica an travel didn’t one of the young men just win a fight in the first round

    • Charles Leatham
      February 24, 2016

      Yes I ended the fight in seconds

  15. Zandoli
    February 24, 2016

    Something must be seriously wrong with you people in Dominica. It is little wonder that island is so backward. Not even the simplest things you guys can get done right?

  16. Music Producer
    February 24, 2016

    “You have to be on island, at least two days before a competition,…” Rio, Guyana nor Mexico are islands…

    • Interested
      February 24, 2016

      come on you know what he means

    • Interpreter Found
      February 24, 2016

      if this is what you take from this article then you better not even have commented.

      This is a serious matter and you have just trivialized it with your petty nonsense. Its the entire mentality of taking things seriously. How can you send an athlete to perform and not even give them time to prepare. How can you send anyone to do anything without giving them time to prepare. I feel very sorry for these young men who have probably trained very hard only to be let down by officials.

      We need to show the youth professionalism for them in turn to display it, no wonder the country is continuing its downward spiral.

    • GB
      February 24, 2016

      You missed the point bro. Stop being a smart ……..

    • Tjebe Fort
      February 24, 2016

      Guyana is definitely not an island. It is Felix Wilson, who considers the DOC his domain and his alone. Philip White only talking for Felix. That whole DOC is a con in my opinion and very embarrassing to Dominica.

      • Too Strange
        February 25, 2016

        And I can guarantee you that as long as Felix Wilson is in charge of DOC, our athletes will go no where! This man lives in an alternate universe where he is king, and the other members of DOC in this real universe don’t have the guts to stand up to him. The cancer cell keeps eating away at the whole thing!

    • Really?
      February 24, 2016

      To be honest with you, that is the least part of the article. “Island” or “country” … whatever! You get the point! DOC is crippling young talent and buying foreign athletes while our sons and daughters are sitting on the sidelines! Don’t criticize Job. Criticize the fact that DOC’s leadership is a hot mess!

  17. kisses
    February 24, 2016

    hmm

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