… Rogers to defend title against Bess
“I GIVE him his credit for what he has achieved so far in his professional career, wherein he lost his first four fights and rebounded to win his next four, including the national cruiserweight title and I will be looking forward to meeting him on  May 28 for the national heavyweight title.” Those were the words of national heavyweight champion Mitchell Rogers who penned his signature to face national cruiserweight champion Kurt Bess at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) on the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) card dubbed ‘RAMPAGE’.
According to president of the GBBC and the Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) Peter Abdool, this card is one with a difference, since the GBBC will be having four professional title fights on the night in question – a first for Guyana’s boxing history.
Abdool was referring to the Elton ‘The Real Coolie Bully’ Dharry facing Dexter Marques for the CABOFE bantamweight title, national super middleweight champion Lennox ‘Pretty Boy’ Allen matching gloves with light heavyweight champion Kwesi ‘Assassin’ Jones for the CABOFE super middleweight crown and Mandessa Moses going up against an opponent who is yet to be named for the CABOFE Junior lightweight title.
Rogers and Bess met twice before and shared the results, with Rogers recording a second-round technical knockout (TKO) in the first fight at the CASH, while Bess rebounded to record a split decision victory when they met at the Princess Hotel last November.
“What is humiliating about that fight last November is the fact that I took him lightly for more reasons than one, including the fact that I recorded a victory over him before, but this time around, he has to come prepared for a fight as I am leaving no stone unturned in my bid to retain my heavyweight title.”
The 32-year-old Rogers, who is a father of two boys aged 6 and 3, said boxing fans can expect more aggression from him when he faces Bess, especially those who felt he has never had an opponent who has roughed him up before.
“I must say that I am happy to know that finally there is somebody who is creditable and willing to face me for my heavyweight title, after many fighters agreed to do so and at the last moment pulled out of the fight.
Having fought him twice before, I will not be taking him lightly, since he defeated me via a split decision last November and certainly, with boxing fans out there saying I have always fought easy fights before, now they will say different, since we fought each other twice before and will be looking to settle the score to prove who is the better man,” said Rogers.
He continued, ‘I am not making excuses since a loss is a loss, but when he defeated me, I was not focused on that fight, since he was not my original opponent.
“He became my opponent on the morning of the fight, when my original opponent Leon Gilkes backed out of the fight and I was not thinking much of him then as I am now, so he needs to walk with his ‘A’ game to the ring or else ….”
“I went back to the drawing board after that loss and even after seeing him in action against the Barbados-based Cleveland Fraser, whom he knocked out in the fourth round to win the cruiserweight title, I am not fazed.
“I knew he would have won, as I sparred 18 rounds with Fraser and realised that Fraser can’t take a punch, while I can take as well as give and when we meet, he needs to be prepared for he will be facing the Mitchell Rogers of old, the boxer who makes the crowd go ‘ooh and aah’ everytime he throws a punch,” stated Rogers.
Rogers, whose record reads 6-2 with five knockouts, won the national heavyweight title four years ago when he forced Gilkes to retire in the ninth round of their scheduled 12-round encounter at the CASH.
According to Abdool, the male fighters who come out on top in their respective CABOFE title fights can find themselves ranked within the top 10 of the World Boxing Council (WBC) ratings and later on become a world champion.
Abdool believes the Jones/Allen matchup can be called a ‘dynamite’ one, since Jones is no pushover and has earned his right to face Allen who is currently the State of New York super middleweight champion, with both boxers defeating Gilkes to claim their respective national titles.
Come what may, certainly there will be a ‘RAMPAGE’ at the CASH on May 28, when the pugilists matched gloves for supremacy and with a proposed entrance fee of $1 500 (stands) and $3 000 for ringside, boxing fans will be expected to throng the venue for this dynamic night of action.