Pan American Boxing Confederation President Elise Seignolle believes Jamaica is poised to play a leading role in revitalizing boxing across the Caribbean.
Seignolle, the first woman to head the regional governing body, made the declaration shortly after arriving on the island Friday night for a five-day visit aimed at strengthening ties and accelerating development efforts.
"I truly believe that Jamaica has a key role to play in the Caribbean. For way too long, the Caribbean has not been given the proper attention and the proper support, and I see Jamaica as an engine for the Caribbean, so the idea is to really support Jamaica to carry that torch throughout the Caribbean,” said Seignolle, a former accomplished boxer herself.
Seignolle’s visit comes just weeks after she was elected president of the Pan American Boxing Confederation in March. She previously served as president of USA Boxing and was a candidate for the presidency of World Boxing, a post that ultimately went to Boris van der Vorst, who also visited Jamaica earlier this month.
The American-born Seignolle will officially kick off her Jamaican itinerary by attending the Gloves Over Guns Futures Fight Night at Stanley Couch Gym in Parade Gardens on Saturday night. The event will feature boxers from the Cayman Islands, the United Kingdom, and Jamaica, spanning from novice to elite levels, including several high school athletes.
Beyond the ring, Seignolle is keen to immerse herself in Jamaican culture, including participating in Carnival festivities. She will also visit Sugar Gym in Olympic Gardens, a hub for community-level boxing, and engage in meetings with key sports stakeholders, including Jamaica Olympic Association President Chris Samuda and Hon. Mike Fennell.
Stephen "Bomber" Jones, President of the Jamaica Boxing Association (JBA) and a director on the confederation's executive, expressed high hopes for Seignolle’s visit.
"I expect Jamaica to grow, the level to rise from all areas of the sport, from the pipeline that we have been building from the grassroots, which is the novice boxers and the junior boxers. We want to get high school boxing to be more recognized, which is happening through the Gloves Over Guns Initiative and community boxing. Once the high schools come on board, then the pool grows, and then you will see the talent pool at all levels—male and female. And from there the goal is to get to the highest level, which is the Olympics, which we are guaranteeing that we will have representation in LA2028," Jones explained.
“But beyond LA, we want to make sure that we get to the World Championships, the CAC Games, and all the major international competitions. So we have to strengthen our base here in terms of our officials, our boxers, and our coaches. So from here, the conversations that we will be having, I want her to meet the coaches, I want her to meet the boxers, and I want her to see the platform that we use so that she can get firsthand exactly what we are working with, where we need to go, and we work together with her leadership. So I think it’s big things that are going to come," he added.