Two executive members of the St. Lucia Boxing Association (SLBA) have been appointed to serve on two important committees of the American Boxing Confederation (AMBC).
Christopher was appointed to the Referee and Judges Commission, while Joseph was appointed to the Competition Committee.
The AMBC was founded in an Extraordinary Assembly held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on January 31, 2009. It was a result of the merger of the Confederation of Pan American Boxing and the American Bureau of the International Boxing Association (IBA), according to IBA’s new policy of recognising only one organisation per continent.
The AMBC’s main function is to govern and control the entire Olympic boxing on the American continent as well as having the representation of the IBA in America.
Christopher said the recent appointments came as the IBA continues its efforts to revamp various aspects of the international boxing body’s operations and restore its integrity.
“I’m pleased to know that, as a leading sports administrator in boxing regionally, I have been recognised by AMBC and IBA for this post,” Christopher said. “What this means is that both Robert and I can be called upon to officiate at any international boxing event.”
In 2019, Christopher was the first person from Saint Lucia to become an International Technical Officer (ITO). Fifteen people from across the Caribbean participated in that course, with only four qualifying.
Saint Lucia also has three IBA 1-star referees: Julie Bonnett, Cecil Kerr and Robert Joseph. Christopher said the SLBA hopes to get more referees certified as the global sport continues to gain more popularity.