IT will be the first Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) ProAm boxing card of the year and fighters are all ready to electrify  the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall tonight. Those viewing from their homes this evening can also look forward to great entertainment. As usual, threats have been made, a few punches have been thrown but they all vowed to settle their difference in the square circle where boxing fans will see heavyweights Kurt Bess and Anthony Augustin go at each other in a rematch which promises action galore.
The Augustin/Bess bout is set to headline the proceedings in which will Pauline London will face Veronica Blackman, Mark Austin will square off against Jermaine King and Edmond DeClou will do battle with the sport’s journeyman, Winston Pompey.
It will be the second meeting between Bess and Augustin, with the later getting the upper-hand but a lot has happened to Bess since then.
Guyana’s heavyweight champion Mitchell Rogers was handed a split decision loss which he suffered at the hands of Bess at the Princess Hotel and Casino on the Caribbean Fury 2 Card in November and on the ProAm bout, Bess then recorded and unanimous decision win over Leon ‘The Lion’ Gilkes.
That has led the 6’ 4” Bess, who has improved his ring record to two wins and four losses from six fights, to mention at a recentl-held press conference that he’s much more prepared to face Augustin and that this time around things will be different.
However, Augustin begs to differ, stating that things will be the same as their first meeting on July 27 last year.
Augustin is on the road to redemption following his first round TKO to Shawn Cox last October which was his second professional defeat in five fights in which he also gained two wins and a draw.
Meanwhile, it will be the first time Blackman will be facing London (Pauline). The soft-spoken heavyweight fighter claims that she has a score to settle having lost to London’s sister Pamela in 2008 for the World Boxing Council (WBC) International Female Heavyweight title.
Blackman has three wins from her last eight fights, tasting defeating five times with the most recent being against Guyana’s world champion ‘The Stealth Bomber’ Gwendolyn O’Neil last October.
It’s been close to two years since Blackman had a win with her last being over Sharon Ward at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
London, known for her boastful pre-fights taunts, last stepped into the ring with Ward last month when she lost by a unanimous decision which made her record identical to this evening’s opponent.
Looking ahead, Winston Pompey promises to reclaim his right in the ring when he faces the tough Lindener Edmond DeClou in their middleweight clash.
De Clou has been impressive in the ring since making his professional debut on May 27, 2009 with a unanimous decision win over Kwesi Jones.
His only defeat was to Jones in their rematch last February leaving his record at three wins and one loss. This fight will certainly be a huge hurdle for Pompey who claims to be on a comeback after his defeat to an ageing Raul Frank.
Mark Austin wants to keep his unblemished four-fight record when he meets Jermaine King who is the complete opposite, having lost his only two fights so far to Cecil Smith and Kelvin Diaz.
The Amateur bouts also promises plenty action.
Diwani Lampkin will oppose Keron Thorne while in a middleweight bout Kelsie George tackles Alfred Benjamin. Ron Smith opposes David Walters also in the middleweight category and in the final amateur bout Ray Sandiford matches gloves with Stephon Gouveia.
Bell-time is 20:00 h.