GUYANA’S very own Franklyn Brisport was last Saturday appointed as a World Boxing Council (WBC) referee, just before the first bell was rung in the feature match of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control’s (GBBC)-organised RAMPAGE which was held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
Asked to comment on the appointment, president of the GBBC and the Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE), Peter Abdool, said it was something that had to occur at some point in time for the 42-year-old Brisport who hails from the Linden area.
“At some point in his career, I had to break him into the WBC ranks as a referee and even though he was appointed to such last Saturday night, I will be bringing down two officials from the WBC, namely Harold Laurens and our very own Wilfred Boodhoo to conduct a referees and judges course for a period of three days.
“When you are boxing or officiating on a boxing card in a jurisdiction, the head of that board, in this case CABOFE which falls under the auspices of the WBC, can appoint a referee pending approval from the head body.
“In Brisport’s case, I felt he was ready and the WBC readily agreed with me and all we have to do is back it up by having him undergo the sessions in the upcoming course, at the end of which he will be fully accredited as a WBC referee,” stated Abdool.
According to Abdool, Brisport and the veteran Eion Jardine are the two referees in whom the GBBC has expressed extreme confidence and satisfaction with their performances. Brisport did an excellent job as the third man in the ring during the Lennox ‘Too Sharp’ Allen/ Kwesi ‘Lightning Struck’ Jones WBC/CABOFE super middleweight encounter.
“I know he has been officiating in fights for the past nine years, but the way he handled himself during the fight, taking control when same needed to be done was fantastic. At one time the crowd was encroaching on the ring and that caught his attention where rightfully, he refused to commence a round until they had dispersed,” said Abdool.
He continued, “Such an act is what we have grown to expect from him and that caught the attention of the head of the GBBC’s Referee’s Committee, Andrew Thorne, who in his own right is an experienced referee and along with Jardine, passed Brisport with thumbs up, saying he rose to the occasion and handled matters well.”
Brisport himself, who has also executed the duties of football referee’s assistant for the past 12 years, said he felt great at achieving the feat and is looking forward to officiating a WBC title fight as an ambassador of Linden and Guyana, in the not-too-distant future.