ST JAMES, Jamaica—World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst, who arrived in the island on Saturday, says he is impressed by the Gloves over Guns programme in Jamaica.

van der Vorst visited the Montego Bay Boxing Gym on Sunday, where he observed students from the six St James schools involved in the programme undergoing training.

The “Gloves Over Guns” initiative, a programme by the Jamaica Boxing Association, aims to combat violence and crime by providing structured sports programmes for young people, channeling their energy into boxing and developing skills for success both inside and outside the ring.

“For me it’s very important to stress that boxing can save lives. Boxing requires discipline. Listen very well to your coaches,” the World Boxing president told the students in Montego Bay.

For his part, Jamaica Boxing Association president Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones is heartened by the visit of van der Vorst, citing that it augurs well for his quest to start a boxing competition in schools.

“We want to get to a stage where we have 16 schools directly. Once we have 16 schools we can have a high school competition,” Jones told Observer Online.

“The fact that World Boxing president is here will make it happen quicker because he sees our initiative and he loves it. So he is going to get the push behind it to help us with 16 schools. So we think we are now closer than ever because the World Boxing president has paid a visit here,” he added.

van der Vorst is in Jamaica on a four-day visit.