Former world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis is interested in the development of a national gym and the overall improvement of local boxing, according to vice-president of the Jamaica Boxing Board of Control (JBBC), Steven Jones.

Jones, a guest at the Rotary Club of Kingston's weekly meeting on Thursday at The Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston, said Lewis "is readily available for advice and he brings the ability to gain funds and credibility".

Jones said the JBBC is looking to get the best of the best from all the gyms and have one area where the boxers train.

solid vision

"Those that are serious will have to earn their way into this position and know that they are surrounded by persons who are also serious about their future. That is his (Lewis') vision and it is a solid vision to have; it makes total sense," Jones added.

JBBC president, William Tavares-Finson, the guest speaker at the function, does not, however, want Lewis to get involved in the programme until there is a structure for him to fit into.

"Lennox Lewis is very interested in terms of the coaching aspect and helping the boxers get an understanding of what it is going to be like at the amateur level and also the professional level," Tavares-Finson said. "We do not want to bring Lennox into a broad programme; we want to bring him into a targeted programme, whether it is the 2012 Olympics or preparations for the Commonwealth Games," he added.

Olympic solidarity coach

For the immediate future, the JBBC is seeking to have its coaches upgraded.

"We have a commitment from the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) that early next year an Olympic solidarity coach will be provided for Jamaica for a period of about two weeks," Tavares-Finson said. "Fifteen coaches and coaches' assistants will be trained."

Tavares-Finson expects the coach to be here by next February.

The JBBC has also been able to strike three new deals. The first is with Golden Neo-Life Diamite International Limited which will be providing natural supplements for local boxers in a programme said to be worth close to $500,000. The second company on board is the Jamaica Urban Transit Company which will provide SmartCards for the gym users in Boys' Town so they can travel to and from the gym free of cost. Third, LeSam Technologies will develop a boxing website which is soon to go on online and will be called jamaicaboxing.com.