NOT since Holland Entertainment Promotions (HEP) staged their Caribbean Fury 2 at the Princess Hotel last November, have Guyanese boxing fans and enthusiasts witnessed an international boxing card in the Land of Many Waters.
The Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) under the stringent stewardship of Peter Abdool has organised a three-title fight card for next Saturday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) entitled ‘RAMPAGE’ and according to Abdool, this card is a culmination of their monthly Friday Night Fights (FNF).
“This card is a culmination of the FNF and from the outset when the GBBC said it will be looking to develop the records of our boxers to the point where we take them to fight for Regional titles and later on world titles.”
Abdool said the World Boxing Council (WBC), through the Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE), which he was elected to head back in September of 2009, allows you a foothold into the WBC’s top 20 rankings as long as you become a CABOFE champion.
“Let’s take the Lennox Allen/Kwesi Jones fight as an example. These two will be battling for the WBC/CABOFE super middleweight title and to my mind this will certainly be a dynamite matchup in local boxing history.
Jones’ record was almost entirely built on the FNF and it has placed him in a position where he has gained the opportunity to face Allen for the CABOFE title and the very fact that Jones, who recently became the light heavyweight champion of Guyana can now be challenging Allen for the Regional title based on his FNF record, says the FNF is working and I am happy.”
Abdool said he was trying to get an opponent for fast-rising female pugilist Mandessa Moses, another perfect example of the FNF, saying that almost everything the Soesdyke resident worked for has been accomplished through the FNF.
“The fact that she has built such an impressive record following her debut loss to Trinidad and Tobago’s Wendy Allen last year, also gives testimony that the FNF is working for our local boxers.
Not only are people looking at it and the boxers are getting the necessary exposure we want, but the whole objective to build their records so they can get a better look at what the GBBC is doing and assist us in going forward with the fistic sport, is being achieved, as they themselves have the opportunity to go forward also.”
Looking at ‘RAMPAGE’ Abdool believes it is set up to give fans, who are expected to swarm the venue next Saturday, an entertaining and enthralling night of boxing.
As I said before, the Allen/Jones matchup is likely to be a dynamite one. Allen is a fantastic fighter as we all know and a lot of people feel that at some stage he will be a super middleweight champion of the world, a process that is waiting to happen.
On the other hand, Jones is no pushover and he has earned his right to fight for this title. I must say that I was very pleased when he agreed to come down in weight and challenge Allen, as he feels he is in good condition to give Allen a fight of his life.
This is a great opportunity for him and if he lands the title, he can find himself in the top 20 of the WBC rankings and at the next WBC Convention we can plan his way forward, including a world title shot.”
Abdool used Leon ‘Hurry Up’ Moore as an example of attaining a WBC ranking, saying the 32-year-old entered the ranks of the WBC’s top 20 at an early age and as he kept fighting, his ranking increased and now he is at number three in the super bantamweight division.
Both Allen and Moore, Abdool stated, are currently under the management of a guy by the name of Bob Duffy and the GBBC is hoping to examine a shot at the WBC bantamweight title fight for Leon to actually happen right here in Guyana, which would be a first for men as only Gwendolyn O’Neil has fought for a title here on her home soil.
With regard to the Dexter Marques/Elton Dharry showdown, Abdool outlined the seriousness of the battle which he feels will bring out the best in both fighters.
“There is a saying, ‘If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.’ At some stage, these two fighters had to meet to determine who the better of the two is and they have taken this fight seriously, especially knowing that a world ranking is at stake for the eventual winner.
“As far as I am concerned, both fighters will be fighting for less, but it is great to see the commitment shown by both of them which means tremendous excitement will be coming out of this fight, since no fighter has any intentions of giving ground, as they both aim to become champions.”
From such words spoken with a smile on his face, Abdool is certain that there will be a RAMPAGE at the CASH next Saturday. He took the opportunity to warn boxing fans that the card would not be broadcast live by NCN Channel 11 as they normally do, hence they will be asked to pay an entrance fee of $3 500 (ringside) and $1 500 (stands) to have a first-hand view of the action.