The much delayed this year’s Clifford Cup Boxing Tournament organized by the Amateur Boxing Association of Sri Lanka will finally be held from December 14 to 17 (4 days) at Linea Clothing Garment Factory, Pallekele.
Usually it is held in August each year. Being a team championship tournament the ABA has received a large number of entries and in order to accommodate all of them the meet will be conducted on two rings simultaneously. This 84 year old tournament always had been held at venues in Colombo except in years 2002 and 2003 when it was held at the Military Academy Gymasium Diyatalawa. It was when the present Army Commander Lt. Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya had been the Commandant there. He sponsored the events both times.
It is interesting to know the history of this popular boxing competition. In this connection the Sunday Times spoke to Donald Munasinghe the most senior boxing referee and official of the ABA“The Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) of Ceylon was formed in 1926. They held their first meet, the National Championship that year. There were a lot of individuals who entered for this meet and boxed under the stipulated weight categories.
“The meet gained popularity quickly among the stationed British Armed Forces and Police. In Nineteen Thirties, Forties and Fifties cheering crowds thronged into packed halls to encourage their boxers and support their clubs.
During the decade in the Eighties when Army dominated, this valuable cup with original records engraved on it, went missing. The Army sergeant who had accepted it as the captain of the Army team had taken it home and that was the end of it. The matter was brought up at the Ex-Co Meetings of the ABA by Donald Munasinghe who also had complained about it to the Chairman of Army boxing Colonel Kularatne who was also the Commanding officer of the Military Police. It was of no avail. It is a shame that even the Military Police had been unable to trace and get the cup back. The large cup that is awarded now is only a duplicate donated by Donald Munasinghe.
In the past, there had been a practice to award 2 Best Boxer Cups at Clifford Cup Meet.
The elegant Challenge Cup that is awarded to the Best Boxer at Clifford Cup meet presently has been donated by the late Captain H.K. Karunaratne’s family. It was introduced in 2002.The clubs that are affiliated to the ABA are eligible to enter more than one team and they go as A, B and C teams of that club. It is observed that Army, Navy and Police Clubs usually enter more than one team. However unlike in the past, it so happens when boxers of teams A and B of the same club are pitted against each other, they do not fight seriously. Sometimes it appears like sparring practice. |
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