Missing boxers surface in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) – Missing young Haitian boxers Evens Pierre and Johny Orisme have finally surfaced, overturning fears they may have perished in last Tuesday’s catastrophic earthquake.

The unbeaten light-welterweight Pierre and the super-bantamweight Orisme are usually based in Panama but were visiting family and friends during the end-of-the-year holidays when the earthquake struck.

Several days after the January 12 disaster, the young boxers had remained unaccounted for but their Haitian manager/promoter Jacques Deschamps reported Thursday that they were alive and well although the earthquake killed tens of thousands in the northern Caribbean country.

Pierre, who lost his house in the powerful earthquake, reported that he had been training when the earthquake struck at approximately 16:53 h last Tuesday afternoon.

“We were training in our gym when everything started to shake,” Pierre said.

“We were able to run out of there before the gym collapsed,” added Pierre, who boasts an unblemished record of 12-0 with 11 knockouts.

Orisme has four wins against one loss and both are training partners of the Jamaican Nicholas Walters in Panama City.

Pierre, Orisme and Walters all boxed on a December 18 card in Haiti and won their bouts.

Unofficial reports indicate that as many as 200 000 people died as a result of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti last week, virtually flattening the capital and other areas.

It was confirmed earlier this week that at least 30 members of the Haitian Football Federation (HFF) were killed.

The HFF had been meeting at its headquarters in the city at the time of the earthquake.

Football administrators, office staff, referees and coaches and some players have also been reported dead.

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