Bahamian boxers are getting the kind of training they need to qualify for the 2012 Olympics, and now the whole world is aware of it!
Welterweight Carl Hield was featured on the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) website yesterday, as a powerful boxer looking to build up his endurance heading into the final round of Olympic qualifiers, in May. Hield and fellow Bahamian Valentino Knowles are looking to continue a period of excellence for local amateur boxers by becoming the second and third Bahamians to reach the Olympics in the past four years. Taureano Johnson made it all the way to the quarter-finals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and now Hield and Knowles are looking for their moment of glory.
When contacted yesterday at the high level endurance-training camp in Cardiff, Wales, Hield wasn't even aware that he was featured on the global boxing website, but added now that his name is out there, he will definitely be looking to show what he is made of.
"This is probably the best camp that I have been to in terms of developing the whole boxer," said Hield yesterday. "What we are going through here is very intense. In addition, we're getting a greater understanding of the scoring system, letting us know what to expect at the highest level of amateur boxing. The sport has progressed to the point where you have to be up to speed on the technical aspect of it if you are going to advance at tournaments such as the Olympics and the World Championships. This is my third camp, and where this one stands out, is that it teaches us more of the basics and what to expect. I'm enjoying it and just embracing the opportunity."
Both Hield and Knowles won bronze medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, and Knowles is the reigning Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games Champion. At the world championships level, Knowles became the first Bahamian to win a bout at that level, with his victory over Joseph Njogu from Kenya in Milan, Italy, in 2009. In the light welterweight division (64 kg.), Knowles is ranked second in the region while Hield is the fifth ranked welterweight in this region. They have a bout a week and half remaining at the high level training camp in Cardiff, where they are expected to reach new levels of fitness, and be on par with the conditioning of top-level boxers from around the world.
The interval training in Cardiff reportedly brings a combination of high intensity burst of speed and short recovery phases in a single workout. The main objective of the camp is to build speed and endurance. The theory is that by adopting high intensity interval training, the boxers will be able to adapt their bodies to burn lactic acid more efficiently, allowing them to exercise at much higher intensity for longer periods of time, thereby having improved performance through greater speed and better endurance. Cross-training mixed with interval training is said to make the boxers amongst the fittest athletes in the world.
"The training is going very well," said Head Coach Andre Seymour yesterday. "It is very cold up here but Carl and Valentino are not deterred. They know what they need to do to get to London. They are focussed and are putting in the work. This camp was ideal for us to get ready for the final qualifier for the Olympics. What you have here is a lot of technical work going on. Every day we do a lot of sparring and a lot of running. It's good to be working with a different cadre of boxers from different parts of the world. That could only serve to help us in our goal of qualifying for the Olympics," he added.
Seymour, who himself is a Three Star internationally certified coach, said that even he has learned a lot mixing with coaches from different nationalities up there at the camp. About 15 countries are represented at the camp.
"Our boxers are getting more cardio and learning more of the European style," said Amateur Boxing Federation of The Bahamas (ABFB) President Wellington Miller, who also serves as the president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC). "The training up there is very intense. Carl's photo shows that he is in good shape and Valentino is always ready to go. I just spoke to them and they are in high spirits. Both of them are well known in the Americas and now they are becoming well known in the world. I'm very confident that they will be able to put it all together because these guys know what it is like to train on this side of the world and now they are getting their feet wet with European style training. It's just a matter of time before they'll be able to put it all together. With Carl being featured on AIBA's website, I think that is huge. It puts his name out there and the name of The Bahamas out there. That's a big thing for The Bahamas. It's a global website so people from all over the world will be able to see it, and The Bahamas will be able to benefit from sports tourism."
In Cardiff, Hield and Knowles hit the gym about three times per day, constantly staying in shape. It is predicted that many of the boxers at the 'Road to London' program in Cardiff, will have increased their endurance levels by up to 50 percent by the end of the three-week training camp. Hield and Knowles are scheduled to return to The Bahamas on March 10, and will head directly to Cuba to continue their preparation for the final Olympic qualifier, from May 11-20, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The top five welterweights and light welterweights from that tournament will qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian