(St. Lucia Boxing Association)- Saint Lucian heavyweight boxer, Ryan Charles, will compete in the International Elite Men and Women Istanbul Bosphorous Boxing Tournament in Instanbul, Turkey, from March 15-21, 2021.
The competition has been organized by the Turkish Boxing Federation for over 30 years, and this year’s event will be in preparation for the previously suspended European Olympic Boxing Qualifying Event which is to be continued on April 22.
Charles has received financial support from the Saint Lucia Olympic Committee (SLOC) Inc. towards his participation in the upcoming event as he prepares for Tokyo Games qualifiers scheduled for early May in Argentina.
The professional boxer, who is based in England, will be accompanied to the Turkey event by his English coach, Sabatino Leo.
Charles, 34, who has the nickname “Run Em Over”, who was introduced to boxing at age 8 by a boxer who dated his aunt, has won gold medals at the OECS Boxing Championship and Creole Boxing Championship level. He turned pro in 2018, and BoxRec.com lists him as having 7 wins (2 via KOs) and 1 loss.
According to the Turkish organizers, all participants at the event must have a negative COVID-19 test result made within 72 hours before arrival. The LOC and Turkish Boxing Federation officials have also promised take to take all precautions to prevent any further spread of COVID-19 during the event, including high hygiene standards and clear rules about social distancing for organizing events.
The St. Lucia Boxing Association (SLBA) expresses its gratitude to the Saint Lucia Olympic Committee (SLOC) Inc. for supporting this venture and wishes Charles every success at the upcoming event.
