Lewis and Azore battle to controversial draw
CONTROVERSY and confusion took centre stage at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) last Friday night, following the announcement of a draw between reigning welterweight champion Iwan Azore and Troy Lewis in the feature bout of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC)/ Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA)/Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports (MCYS) organized ProAm fights. 
Many who gathered at the venue and even those at home greeted the decision by the three judges with boos, especially after witnessing Lewis take the fight to Azore, who later told Chronicle Sport he was not pleased with his performance.
It was clear from the opening bell that Lewis intended to keep his pre-fight statement of taking the fight to the Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) based Azore, as he had his opponent on the bicycle throughout the four rounds.
After feeling out his opponent who did likewise, Lewis pushed Azore back to the ropes with a few uppercuts, a punch that was used to good effect by the 36 year old against his younger opponent during the latter stages of the fight.
The second round was no different from the first, with Azore being contented to have Lewis bring the fight to him, something that was met by boos from the crowd, who called on Azore to box like the champion he is and at the same time, encouraged Lewis to beat his man.
Lewis uppercuts were his main weapon in the third round, as he constantly drove Azore to the ropes, but he lacked the killing instinct to finish off his man, while Azore, who has his eyes on T&T Kevin Placide WBC/CABOFE welterweight title, displayed his worth as a champion.
Knowing that the fight was coming to him while being placed on the ropes, Azore ala former world champion Muhammad Ali, boxed his way out of danger with some cleanly struck combinations while on the ropes.
During the latter stages of the round, Azore braced Lewis to the ropes and in true championship fashion, dished out a series of unanswered combinations that brought the crowd to its feet, before embracing his opponent.

A toe to toe slugfest ensued between the two during the early stages of the final round, but when Lewis unleashed his deadly uppercut, Azore had no choice but resort to his bicycle, a clear indication that the punch had a telling effect on him.
Lewis, who has the fastest knockout in this aspect of boxing, said he was looking for a knockout and judging from his actions in the final round, such was evident.
But Azore would have none of it and choose to stay away from his opponent, drawing lots of boos from the crowd who was backing a more aggressive Lewis throughout the encounter.
Shouts of “Lewis”, “Lewis” rang out from those who remained at the venue for the decision at the end of the bout and when ring announcer Basil Bradshaw declared it was a draw, shouts of robbery arose, following which another battle between the two pugilists and their throng of supporters took place, throwing the venue into chaos for a minute or two.
Added to his displeasure at his performance, Azore also stated his willingness to put his national welterweight title on the line anytime against Lewis, whom he said is no match for him, despite his performance.
When asked to comment, Lewis said that such decisions are expected in life and he has no hesitation in meeting Azore again, even if it is for his title as he knows he was and is the better boxer.
In the first fight of the professional side of things, Shawn Pile boxed, counter punched and jabbed his way into the hearts of those gathered, before walking away with a unanimous decision over Clifton Barker in a junior welterweight contest.
Barker wanted a toe to toe contest in the final round, but knowing that he was ahead on the judges’ scorecard, Pile opted to stay outside and threw his punches, something he was doing earlier in the fight and with effect.
Pile later told Chronicle Sport that while he took the bout seriously, it was a sparring session for his upcoming WBC/CABOFE junior welterweight title fight against Miguel Antoine which is scheduled for 19th June in Barbados .
Kwinda Rogers, who lost to Mandessa Moses in her ProAm debut, was asked to replace Veronica Blackman who was originally scheduled to face Sharon Warde in a light heavyweight battle.
Blackman will be facing Guyana’s first female champion in Gwendolyn ‘Stealth Bomber’ O’Neil for the Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA) heavyweight title at the Princess Hotel on Saturday, hence Rogers replacing her.
While many thought that the smaller Rogers would be a walk in the park for Warde who easily disposed of Pamela London in the last FNF, it was a different scenario as the she took the fight to her opponent.
A toe to toe slugfest which saw both boxers unleashing power punches on each other throughout the four rounds brought the crowd to its feet and at one stage of the fight, a visibly shaken Warde rained punches on Rogers like a mother scolding a daughter.
The back and forth battle continued between the two, with Rogers displaying the attitude of a rebellious child, while Warde showed she can be a disciplinarian as a mother, ensuring Rogers’ rebellious acts did not go unpunished.
After the completion of the four rounds, both boxers received a standing ovation from the spectators gathered at the venue, amongst whom were Director of Sports in the National Sports Commission (NSC) Neil Kumar and former Commissioner of Police Laurie Lewis.
Unlike the ruckus which took place when the Lewis/Azore bout was declared a draw, another round of applause took place when a draw was announced, following which London publicly announced her intentions of having a rematch with Warde.
Judging from the crowd’s reaction during the main bout, it is now up to the authorities to get both Lewis and Azore to face each other for the national welterweight title and with the ProAm fights being a monthly, feature, what better way than to have them do so on one of the cards as the main bout, this time going a longer distance.