WHEN the timekeeper rings the bell to signal the start of the first bout on the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) Thirst Park Explosion at the Banks DIH, Thirst Park ground, tonight at 20:00hrs, it will be put up or shut up for most of the pugilists on show, including Linden’s Edmond De Clou. Prior to recording a unanimous decision over Trinidad and Tobago-based Joel McRae in their middleweight title eliminator, De Clou had said his eyes were on his opponent for tonight, former European super middleweight champion Howard ‘Battersea Bomber’ Eastman.
The powers that be at the GBBC heard his cry and granted De Clou his wish, even making tonight’s bout enthralling by placing the national middleweight title on the line.
De Clou’s record reads 7-1-1 with his lone loss coming at the hands of national light heavyweight champion Kwesi ‘Lightning Struck Assassin’ Jones, while he was held to a draw by Winston Pompey whom he later defeated by a split decision the second time they met.
Eastman has a 48-8 record and certainly, he will be bringing a vast amount of experience into tonight’s encounter, as he wishes to prove to most boxing enthusiasts that he is not over the hill and still can be a force to be reckoned with.
If one is to ask the question ‘Has De Clou bitten off more than he can chew, by calling out Eastman?” The answer would be no, since he is in his prime at the moment and a victory over Eastman in their 12-round contest tonight, will only enhance his already impressive resume.
However, the main supporting bout will feature Pauline London calling out Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA) heavyweight champion Gwendolyn ‘Stealth Bomber’ O’ Neil in a 10-round encounter.
London’s record reads 4-8 in comparison to O’Neil’s 17-7-1 and having suffered a defeat at the hands of Veronica Blackman on two consecutive occasions on the GBBC’s monthly Friday Night Fights, managed to chalk up a redemption win on the August edition of the FNF.
How she handles O’Neil, who will be using this bout as a warm-up for her rematch against Nigeria’s Ijeoma Egbunine in December for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) female heavyweight title, having suffered a unanimous decision loss when the two first met last May, is left to be seen.
The Troy Lewis/Iwan Azore encounter should be a scorcher due to the hype and talk that followed their first encounter last May – which ended in a draw – and also a bare-fisted 85-second punch-out between the two pugilists when the decision was made.
Not one to encourage insularity, the GBBC imposed fines and suspension penalties on both fighters and with that aspect of their careers over, Azore told Chronicle Sport he would love to have another shot at Lewis.
“I am here to pursue a fight against anybody, but it would be good if I can look over to the other side of the ring and see Lewis standing there waiting for the bell. I think boxing fans out there would love to see another encounter between Lewis and me, and certainly I am more than willing to oblige.”
At the time of making that statement, Azore was witnessing the Jones/Cleveland Fraser national light heavyweight encounter on the September edition of FNF card.
Local journeyman Orland ‘Pocket Rocket’ Rogers will oppose Clive Atwell in a catchweight encounter to punch off the night’s proceedings followed by the Jermaine King/Mark Austin welterweight clash, but what should be eagerly anticipated tonight, apart from the De Clou/Eastman encounter, is the Simeon ‘Candyman’ Hardy versus Barbados Julian Tannis junior middleweight clash.
In last month’s FNF, Hardy told Pompey he has a punch called the ‘chin check’ and once a fighter can stave off such, he stands a chance of beating him.
Unfortunately for Pompey, he failed the ‘chin check’ test, seeking comfort on the canvas in the second round, but what is left to be seen is the resistance, shown by the St Vincent and Grenadines-born Tannis who has a 4-16-2 record in comparison to Hardy’s 5-0, to the ‘chin check’ tonight.
Looking back at the GBBC-organised Rampage which was held earlier this year at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, there is no doubt that tonight’s card has the perfect name attached to it, EXPLOSION and should all the pugilists display their true potential, then the Guyana Fire Service will be called upon to extinguish the fire created by the explosive punches.
Admission is $2 500 for inner ringside and $1 500 for regular seats – a small price to pay for the event which promises to be  a scorcher and has the financial support of corporate entities such as Digicel, Giftland OfficeMax, Courts (Guyana Limited), GUYOIL, Ansa McAl, Banks DIH and National Communications Networks, just to name a few.