Rachael King
Boxu Potts became emotional after learning that Jizelle Salandy will be inducted into the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame (IWBHF) and got even more sentimental about the notion that her story will be told.
“This is a very proud moment for me for I am now seeing the reward of all my hard work which I have done for boxing and for my country,” said Potts. “There is a documentary, a book and a movie to be done on the life of myself and Jizelle in boxing, which I hope to be a bestseller. I'm presently having discussion with a top movie producer in Hollywood.”
The former adviser to the T&T Boxing Board of Control did not elaborate on the details of the autobiography, however he was overjoyed when the announcement of inductees was made on Saturday at the WBC Female Boxing Convention in Tijuana, Mexico. The induction ceremony will be held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in July.
“I want to thank the great WBC and it’s board of governors for honouring Jizelle Salandy for one of the all time greats. She is rightly deserving of this position because she is the greatest fighter and most decorated boxer of all times. The WBC is the most powerful boxing organisation in the world and such an accolade coming from them speaks volume.”
Salandy’s boxing record stands at 17-0 at the time of her death. She died in a vehicular accident on the Beetham Highway on January 4, 2009.
Potts encourages all young athletes to emulate her good work and to follow his and Salandy’s motto: “The harder you work the luckier you get”.
“She understood the key component to success in any sport is fitness and that the basic fundamentals are food, exercise and rest. She was a true champion in and out of the ring. She inspired young people throughout the Caribbean and was the pride and joy of the Caribbean.”
Potts said he is interested in continuing the good work in creating a few more world champions for T&T and is presently looking at two young female boxers that he hoped to be working with in the near future.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ma Pau Members Club (Salandy’s main sponsor), former Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, Joan Yuille Williams, former Minister of Sport Roger Boynes and the former Prime Minister Patrick Manning for their unconditional support and having the confidence in her by giving her numerous opportunities to break these five world records for her country.
“They never allowed politics to get in the way. They saw her as an icon and treated her as one. This is something that politicians at present and in the future should give consideration to. According to Ms. Joan Yuille Williams words, ‘It doesn't matter to me what people say, I put country first’”, said Potts.
Salandy’s record
The youngest boxer to win a boxing title at the age of 14, which is the IBERO title.
The youngest boxer to unify the two most prestigious boxing titles, WBC and WBA, at the age of 18.
The first boxer to win six title belts in one fight. That record was broken by Natascha Ragosina. She then took back the record by beating Karolina Lukasik for eight belts in one fight.
The first WBC eternal champion.
The first and only Caribbean fighter to defend her titles six consecutive times without defeat.
She is one of the few persons in this country to be given a Chaconia Gold and the following year was given the Merit of Order of T&T posthumously.
Jizelle is first Caribbean boxer to be inducted into the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame.
In all Jizelle has eleven title belts to her accreditation—WBC, WBA, WBE, IWBF, WIBF, GBU, WIBA, UBC, WPBF, NABC, WIBA IBERO