As the historic 100th edition of the Central American & Caribbean Games approaches, Saint Lucia’s elite boxing team is set to depart this week for Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where they will vie for regional honors. The trio of competitors wrapped up an intensive, collaborative pre-tournament training camp in Georgetown, Guyana, designed to sharpen their skills and build cohesion ahead of the high-stakes competition.
Leading the Saint Lucian contingent is 19-year-old light heavyweight John Didier, a rising star from Vieux Fort who already made history for his nation earlier this year. Didier became the first boxer from Saint Lucia to advance beyond the opening round at the IBA Men’s World Boxing Championships, a feat he achieved at the 2025 tournament held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Joining Didier is fellow 19-year-old Danaii Cooman, the reigning super heavyweight champion from the 2024 Caribbean Championships, who enters the CAC Games as one of the region’s top young contenders in his weight class. Rounding out the squad is team captain Khygan “The Hitman” Mortley, a seasoned middleweight who celebrated his 32nd birthday in January and brings decades of competitive experience to the young team.
All three boxers are scheduled to compete at Combat Pavilion No. 2, located within Santo Domingo’s iconic Centro Olímpico Juan Pablo Duarte sports complex. Their five-day pre-departure training camp, led by Saint Lucian head coach Conrad Fredericks, kicked off on July 16 in Guyana, marking a new milestone in regional boxing cooperation.
David Christopher, president of the Saint Lucia Boxing Association and head of the nation’s 2026 CAC Games delegation, emphasized that the cross-border training camp represents far more than preparation for a single tournament. It lays the groundwork for a long-term strategic partnership between the Saint Lucia Boxing Association and the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA).
The initiative for the joint camp grew out of diplomatic exchanges during a recent high-profile regional gathering: when Guyanese President Irfaan Ali traveled to Saint Lucia for the CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting, discussions between regional leaders and sporting officials paved the way for the collaborative training opportunity. During his visit, President Ali also engaged with members of the Guyanese community resident in Saint Lucia, strengthening people-to-people ties between the two Caribbean nations.
“I want to thank President Ali, and my good friend GBA president Mr Steve Ninvalle, for making this camp happen. We are grateful for the support,” Christopher shared in comments after the camp concluded. “It is important for Caribbean countries to work together. By sharing resources, knowledge and opportunities, we can all become stronger and better prepared for international competition.”
Throughout their stay in Georgetown, the Saint Lucian boxers trained side-by-side with Guyana’s own CAC Games squad, which features standout fighters Terron Wintz, Desmond Amsterdam and Colin Lewis. Both groups benefited from the expertise of two veteran Guyanese boxing coaches, Francisco Roldan and Jeff Roberts, who led joint sessions and shared technical insight with all competitors. The shared training environment allowed young boxers from both nations to learn from one another’s styles, build camaraderie, and prepare collectively for the challenge of the regional games.