WITH the joyous season over, local pugilists attached to both the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) and the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) will be hitting the gym to commence their training for the monthly Friday Night Fights (FNF) being co-organised by the two governing bodies for the fistic sport in Guyana, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS).
Having had a successful stint in its inaugural year last year, it’s back to action on Friday January 28 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), where four sizzling and what can be called entertaining and exciting professional bouts will be staged for fans who are expected to throng the venue on fight night.
Kurt Best, still on a high after defeating local heavyweight champion Mitchell Rogers, will be out to enforce his dominance in that division when he matches gloves with Anthony Augustine, a man who defeated local journeyman Leon ‘The Lion’ Gilkes, before suffering a humiliating first-round knockout by Shawn Corbin.
Veronica Blackman and Pauline London will go after each other also in the heavyweight division and this can be another entertaining clash for the fans, since London is known to brag about the mode of her victory before she steps into the ring, a la former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. 
After dropping a lopsided decision to USA-based Rawle Frank, Winston Pompey will be looking for redemption when he faces Linden’s Edmond De Clou, who is no pushover, proving same when he fought both Kwesi ‘Assassin’ Jones and Joel McRae, handing the latter his first loss in the process.
In the night’s opener, Mark Austin who chalked up a name for himself in the FNF will be looking to continue his impressive showing when he faces a lesser known Jermaine King, while the amateur pugilists are yet to be identified.
Meanwhile, president of the GBBC, Peter Abdool, believes that the monthly fights were a success story last year and said this year the board will be upping the ante to improve the career of its boxers.
Speaking at the signing ceremony which took place at the Abdool and Abdool Insurance Brokers boardroom, Abdool, who is also the president Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE), said after a meeting with coaches, the GBBC felt it was important to structure a plan that would benefit the boxers.
The plan requires the boxers’ unwavering discipline and commitment to the GBBC, with Abdool. Both the boxers and the GBBC alike must hold their ends if the fistic sport is to improve in every aspect.
He said the FNF was the first part of the puzzle and the GBBC now will be liaising with coaches to ensure that fighters are in the gym before fights are offered to them, since immense talent was recognised during last year’s hosting of the FNF and it would be ill-advised to put them into fights at short notice.
“We have also asked coaches to identify to us and we (GBBC) will be reviewing the tapes of chosen fighters and charter a course for him/her to ensure they have a long-term career, as we don’t intend to make this process an ad hoc one,” Abdool posited.
“We are not in the process of creating journeyman in our boxers. We want them to build their records and boost their career. The board will endeavour to make boxers fight for world title and we will be taking a more considered approach in the lives and careers of the boxers,” the president noted.
It is the vision of the GBBC to see less “mismatches” according to Abdool, while imploring the fighters to “commit yourself to your craft”. At this point he referred to the lightweight Mark Austin, one of the standout boxers of the Pro-Am cards.
Austin has fought five times with four wins and a draw coming against former amateur champion Clive Atwell.
Abdool indicated that Austin has the talent and skill to become a world rated fighter and the board is going to ensure that the fighter breaks into the World Boxing Council (WBC) top 20 this year.