Fyzabad mourns a boxing queen
Anika Gumbs-Sandiford | 10:23 pm
Published: January 4th, 2009
Hailed as the “boxing queen”, Fyzabad villagers yesterday struggled to accept the shocking news of the death of their village heroine—Jizelle Salandy. Shock waves rocked the birth place of the boxing champion at Hickling Village, as news spread that the 21-year-old Salandy had succumbed to her injuries at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (POSGH), following an early morning vehicular accident. She would have turned 22, on January 25.Salandy, police said, was driving a rented Toyota Yaris in the vicinity of Sea Lots, when tragedy struck around 7 am.
The boxing star, who only on Boxing Night at Jean Pierre Complex in Port-of-Spain, emerged victorious after beating Dominican Republic, Yahada Hernandez, reportedly lost control and crashed into a concrete pillar. Local female footballer Tamara Watson was in the company of Salandy when the accident occurred. She has been listed in critical condition at the POSGH.
Only days ago the nation was given a scare when double Olympic silver medalist Richard Thompson was involved in a vehicular accident. Horrified family, friends and neighbours stood outside Salandy’s home in disbelief yesterday not wanting to accept the tragic news. Grieving neighbours described Salandy as the “boxing queen” who will always be remembered as the young girl who made the village proud. “We are aching in pain. This is very sad. Jizelle was our champion, she was our baby,” villager Angela Flery said. Family members, however, did not want to comment on her death and closed their doors on the media. Only a photograph of Salandy posing with various champion belts was placed in the gallery. When stepfather Simon Baptiste, arrived at the house, the distraught man said he believed his daughter may have had an early premonition of her death.
Regretting not attending his daughter’s last boxing match on Boxing night, Baptiste said: “When I heard what happened to my daughter, my mind immediately remembered what she said on Boxing Night. It was like she knew something was going to happen but we did not know. Jizelle said that her sister (Josanne) had a baby boy and he would be another boxer in the family. She gave us the message...but we did not understand it until now.” Holding back the tears, Baptiste continued: “I never missed one of my daughter’s fights. Boxing Night was the first time I missed her fight because circumstances prevented me from attending. This is really hard...Jizelle was my baby...this is not easy at all, but the Father know best.”
Salandy’s adopted grandmother Dolly Jaipaul, who lives next door sat in her gallery and wept uncontrollably yesterday. Jaipaul said she learnt of the “bad news” from her daughter Alicia Joseph, who had legally adopted Salandy several years ago. Wiping tears from her eyes, the elderly Jaipaul said the accident brought back memories from six years ago when her son Kenrick Baboolal was kidnapped in Guyana. “The same feeling come back. My heart paining me. Since my daughter get the call this morning I crying. Jizelle was my granddaughter. I cook, wash and iron her clothes. We adopted her to keep her on the right track and was expecting her to get married to someone respectful....we do not know why this happen.”
Jaipaul said she last saw Salandy hours before her match on Boxing Day when she came to visit family. “Her family had a get together and she was there looking nice as usual. Before she left she came here and told me that she had a fight. I wished her well and she left...I cannot believe my granddaughter gone.” Yesterday, Guardian’s south office was bombarded with telephone calls by persons who wanted to confirm Salandy’s untimely passing. Among them was athlete Rubert Graham who used to train with Salandy. An emotional Graham, who received a scholarship to the Jackson State University in Mississippi said: “I cannot believe what I heard so I wanted to call and confirm. Jizelle was such a pleasant girl...... I cannot believe she is gone.”
