Former eight-time national champion Junior Greenidge wanted to be the man to revive boxing in Barbados but has now had a change of heart after failing in his bid to become the president of the Barbados Boxing Association (BBA).
Greenidge tallied 24 votes, ten short of his main rival and newly elected president Melissa Branford- Jones, when elections were held both virtually and face to face last Sunday at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex.
While venting his disappointment at the final results, Greenidge who has had a memorable career for Barbados at the local, regional and international level, said he wanted nothing more to do with boxing.
“If the people want boxing to continue the way that it is, they have spoken. As I say I have nothing more to do with this boxing and I mean it. Junior Greenidge has finished coaching, whatever. I decline from everything.
“Look at boxing. Boxing would never get another champion because of these people… As I say boxing in the ground already and it will get buried now. And this is a man that is talking because this is what it gets to. Politics play in this thing and it is sad,” he said.
While expressing his disgust about the election which he described as an unfair process, the Commonwealth Games bronze medallist noted that he was not walking away because he is weak. But rather because he no longer feels the membership has faith or confidence in him to bring about change.
“It makes no sense trying because I would be fighting a losing battle. That is the truth,” he said.
“I am not walking away because I am weak. I am walking away because I cannot make a difference because of my way, they are not going to look at my way. They will always see me as a threat.
“If given the opportunity. I would have made some moves that people would have seen I am doing something because I am passionate about this sport. This sport could be big here. It could be big for sports tourism, not only [people] coming to see boxing but the culture of the place. I had all of these things planned,” Greenidge added.
Unleashing his anger and frustration at the outcome, the 40-year-old Greenidge added: “These people have this designed to win. They know they are going to pull people from here, they are going to pull people from there, and that is what these people do. They use tactics and they win by tactics.
“The hurtful part is these people they are putting there don’t care about boxing. They don’t care if it fails or if it prospers. Don’t mind the pretty talk. Action speaks louder than words and these people’s actions will show you all that they don’t care about the boxers or the boxing getting nowhere.
“Because you have a doctorate or you are a doctor or whatever. But you ain’t got no knowledge about the sport. It seems to me that the people are happy about their decision, so I will live with it.”
Greenidge acknowledged that the sport needs a facelift but made it clear that unless the BBA membership shows that they are serious about change, boxing will go nowhere. He believes that the BBA needs new blood.
“To see that these people ain’t have faith in me to just do the things that these take decades to do and still ain’t do. These people claim that they work hard. You could work hard for something and the boxing still in the ground? Please! The results show. What are you working hard doing?
“Results show that these people are just talking. A lot of talk, no action. I am being real and when you see a man like me come here to give my all in it. Give sacrifices in it, to make sure that boxing gets what it deserves. We have been living in the stone age for so long, all of these people are happy because a lady at 83 years old, going 84 (got re-elect). That is how this thing is,” Greenidge stated.
He added: “The hurtful thing is everybody is happy but I ain’t happy because I wanted change for the better for the boxers. Boxers should have a say in this because as I say without the boxers they won’t be any association. But with this here it is an organisation.
“Boxing will go nowhere because there ain’t nobody to push it, nobody with a vision for it, ain’t nobody that just wants to see boxing grow because it has the potential to grow. Not to say we don’t have talent here. But when you put these same people there with these same old tactics, things change? You got to change with time. Stuck in old ways and that is what is killing the sports and infecting the sport.”
morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb
