(UTV|COLOMBO) – Seven of Sri Lanka schoolboy pugilists will create history at the ‘King of the Ring’ International boxing tournament, as they participate for the first time at this tournament from November 21st to 25th in Boras, Sweden. The Schools Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (SBASL) selected seven winners of Junior, Youth and Elite boxers at the Stubbs Shield Boxing Championships held as part of the All Island National School Games held earlier last month, at the Jayathilaka Boxing Stadium in Nawalapitiya.
The competition which attracted 400 entries last year, will have more than 450 competitors from 22 countries this time around. Teams from Sweden, England, Norway, Finland, Scotland, Portugal, Ireland, Gambia, Uganda, Canada, India, Jordan, and Lebanon are some countries that have already submitted their entries.
In the history of school boxing, Sri Lankan boxers will get opportunity to showcase for the first time, their skills in three age categories; Juniors, Youth and Elite in one single tournament. The School Boxing Association has aligned to Boxing Association of Sri Lanka president Dian Gomes’ policy of developing school level boxers by giving them international exposure, as a long-term strategy in creating champions. Sri Lanka sent a six-member team for the inaugural ASBC Asian Schoolboys Boxing Championships in Kuwait in July, while an eight-member team took part in the ASBC Asian Junior Boxing Championships in Fujairah, UAE, this month. Sri Lanka also sent two boxers for the ASBC Asian Youth Boxing Championships 2019 held this month in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Trinity College, Kandy’s Attaab Manzil, one of the most scientific boxers at this year’s Stubbs will be the solitary representative in the Juniors category. He has taken to boxing like a duck to water after being discovered by Trinity coach Lahiru Senarathne, winning the gold medal at the L.V. Jayaweera on his debut.
Three boxers have been selected to represent Sri Lanka in the Youth category, including Kavisha Manathunga of St. Sylvester’s College Kandy, who won School Boy 2017 and TB Jayah who won two consecutive golds at the Stubbs Shield in 2018. The others include Light Fly weight (49kg) winner Suban Hansaja of Vidyartha, a gold medalist of this years’ LV Jayaweera, and TB Jayah. Hartley College Jaffna’s ‘giant’ Vikneswaran Shanujan, standing tall at 186 cms won this year Youth and Stubbs gold medals. His fighting stand testament to his abilities in the Heavy weight (81kg) class.
Four boxers have been selected to represent the country in the Elite category. Chethiya Ekanayake (60kg) of Dheerananda College, Pilimatalawa who won best boxer of this year Stubbs Shield, recording an International victory by winning a bronze medal at the last year’s International Chinese Taipei City Cup Tournament. The other two are three times Stubbs Shield winners Nisal Rangana Bandara (49kg) of Peradeniya MMV and Vimuk Hettiarachchi (56kg) of Royal College, Colombo. Hettiarchchi is armed with International experience after participating in the last year Asian Youth Boxing Championships held in Thailand, after bagging a bronze medal at the International Seven lange tournament in Germany.
The officials selected for the tour are AIBA 2-star coach Abdulla Ibunu of Royal who is also the head coach of the team, AIBA 1-star coach K.K.Sunil of Dheerananda MMV, who is also School Boxing Association Secretary, AIBA 1-star coach U.D.T.T. Abeywardena of St. Sylvester’s and Lahiru Senarathna, Trinity’s head coach. Principal of Dheerananda College, Gunawardana Bandara will lead the team as the manager. (NK)
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