|
|
|
  |
| Sunday, 30 January 2005 |
 |
|
 |
Sports |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
knowledgeable coaches must be in charge of boxing - Gunasinghe by UPANANDA JAYASUNDERA - Kandy Sports Special Corr. Boxers of yesteryear are somewhat perturbed about the falling standard of the sport. One of these boxers - former Featherweight champion and Commonwealth Games boxer G. A. S. Gunasinghe is somewhat sad in the decline of standards in boxing. He said that the chief reason in the falling standard of boxing is chiefly due to the fact that qualified and experienced boxers are no longer coaching at school level and those in charge of schoolboys these days are generally masters-in-charge who are generally not qualified to coach. Something must be done soon to remedy the lapses because Gunasinghe who had wide experience in the sport, having represented at international level is trying his best to keep the sport alive in giving back to the sport what he has gained from it. He first coached Peradeniya Madhya Maha Vidyalaya and now coaches Dharmaraja College, Kandy. He was a schoolboy boxer at St. Sylvester's College, Kandy where he won the coveted 'Extra Heavyweight 'A' Class under 130 lbs at the prestigious stubs shield meet in 1961 under the guidance of the well-known Derek Raymond and then climbed the ladder of success when he joined the Air Force and continued his winning ways, getting to the top in the Clifford Cup, Layton Cup and the National Championships under the guidance of T. M. Khalid and D. G. Labrooy. Gunasinghe boxed for Ceylon at Commonwealth games held in kingston, Jamaica in 1966. Boxing in those days was not just slugging away, but real scientific boxing and the quality of Gunasinghe's boxing could be judged by the fact that he was picked as the 'Most Scientific Boxer' at the three meets mentioned. In 1973, he was also picked as the Best Sportsman of the year at the Royal Ceylon Air Force (Now Sri Lanka Air Force). During his boxing career he boxed alongside champions in the calibre of Sumith Liyanage, Malcom Bulner (both Olympic boxers), P. G. Neil, L. V. Douglas, Bertie Ekanayake, P. Edmon, Vernon Enas to name but a few. After he 'hung' up his gloves, he took to the next best thing - coaching. He has produced many boxing champions at school level and one particular boxer Anuruddha Ratnayake went on to win a silver medal at the SAF Games boxing. |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
