TT LIGHTWEIGHT boxer Michael Alexander, who was involved in a motorbike accident earlier this year, is still in need of $15,000 US for surgery to continue his boxing career.
In January, Alexander was in a motorbike accident in Diego Martin. Any hope of qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which was held from July 23-August 8 this year, was dashed.
Among the injuries he suffered were broken ribs, punctured lungs and broken bones in his left hand. He spent two weeks in the Intensive Care Unit.
Alexander is elated for his national boxing team-mate Nigel Paul who earned this country's first medal at a World Championship event.
Paul took bronze in the +92kg super heavyweight category at the International Boxing Association 2021 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, last week.
Like Paul, Alexander wants to continue representing TT but needs the support to do so.
Alexander could not help but feel as though he should have been at the World Championships also.
'I was very happy for him (Paul), but at the same time some part of me was feeling down in a sense knowing that through my accident I could not be out there…I wanted to be there with him because I am sure instead of one medal coming back I guarantee it would have been two medals coming back.'
Alexander, 28, has been one of the most top-rated boxers for TT over the past decade. He has earned multiple medals for TT including a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland and a bronze medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Discussing his road to recovery, Alexander said, 'I am doing therapy on my left arm. The only problem I have right now is a pinched nerve and I will be back to normal. I was waiting on the Government (for help)…sometimes you feel like you have to beg the Government for support.
'It will be $15,000 US (for the surgery), that's like $105,000 TT.' Alexander said he feels demotivated due to the lack of support. 'What's the sense being in a sport sometimes, that's how I feel.'
He continued, 'I don't know what I have to do for them to actually hear my cry. If I going out and representing my country - the red, white and black - and putting them on the map in this sport and I medalling every time I go out. Why are they treating me like that? Have I done something wrong?'
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