PRIOR to fight night, national welterweight champion Iwan ‘Pure Gold’ Azore said he had studied Simeon ‘Candyman’ Hardy and was prepared for what he had to bring into the ring when they meet for the World Boxing Council (WBC)/Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) welterweight title. What Azore forgot to mention was whether or not he had made preparations for the ‘Chincheck’ test that the ‘Candyman’ was prepared to take him through. The answer was as clear as crystal last Friday night to all who turned up at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) to witness the action live.
One test was administered by Hardy in the dying stages of the fourth round and had it not been for the bell, that round would have been the final round of the contest. But not to be outdone while exhibiting patience amidst the trying times, Hardy issued another test at 2:25 secs in the ninth round, which Azore failed to pass.
From the opening bell, it was clear to all the spectators, including president of the Athletics Association of Guyana Colin Boyce and Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA) bantamweight champion Shondell Alfred,that both boxers were seeking to finish each other off early.
Punches were thrown from close up and even from the outside by both Hardy and Azore, which evidenced the intense rivalry between the two, which first occurred at the contract-signing ceremony three weeks before the fight.
A right hand from Hardy caught a moving Azore and sent him back a few paces in the third round, before the Trinidad and Tobago-based champion responded with several combinations to the body of Hardy, drawing loud shouts from the appreciative crowd.
A flurry of punches from Hardy midway the fourth round preceded the ‘Chincheck’ thrown from the right hand, which, after connecting, left Azore in a dazed condition along with rubbery and crossed legs, before he sought comfort on the canvas.
Referee Eion Jardine issued an eight-count to the fallen champion who beat same and got up to dish out some punishment of his own to Hardy, who to many showed signs of tiring, especially as the fight passed the sixth round – a point that was highlighted by Azore at the signing ceremony.
At the end of the eighth round, the judges scorecard read 79-72, 78-73 and 79-72 in favour of Hardy, who did not leave it to be decided by the judge’s decision despite leading on their scorecards, as he unleashed the ‘Chincheck’ in the ninth round, to which Azore failed to respond.
In fact, many said the referee could have reached the count of one million and Azore would not have responded, as he was caught by a stunner which in the end left him stunned for a few minutes on the canvas, as Dr Laxa and his assistant attended to him, while Hardy began his celebrations.
In an invited comment after the victory, Hardy, who will enter the WBC’s championship tournament as the CABOFE champion, was high in praise for his coaching staff, while acknowledging the fact that Azore was indeed a stiff opponent.
“My feeling for this win is very overwhelming for me. I worked very hard to achieve this. I had many persons calling and encouraging me to train hard, even those who are not my trainers. I worked very hard, even without the coaches, as my aim was to come out successful.
Azore was the toughest guy I have ever faced so far. I hurt my left hand once again in the fight, during the third round, but I was determined to use my left jab despite the pain, while I used my right jab as a backup.”
Hardy, whose record improved to 7-0 with six knockouts, acknowledged he had the opportunity to finish off Azore (14-5-3) in the fourth round, but could not do so, saying he was surprised he answered the bell to fight in the fifth round.
“I realise after throwing some heavy combinations that he was still there holding on. I thought he would have stayed in his corner, but he came out back and fought like the true champion he is, but in the end I came out victorious, like I always knew I would,” said Hardy.
The 25-year-old will now turn his attention to the WBC tournament which gets under way from the May 1 and will see the overall winner of each weight division, carting off a US$250 000 prize in a contest that is scheduled to last for 40 weeks and will see each fighter in action at least four times.
Prior to Hardy recording his sensational knockout, Mark Austin maintained his supremacy over Jermaine King, having chalked up a majority decision win for the third time, while both Mitchell Rogers and national middleweight champion Edmond De Clou came away with unanimous decision wins over Anthony Augustine and James Walcott respectively.
On the amateur side of things, referee Romona Agard called a halt to proceedings in the first two fights at 35 secs and 1:51 secs respectively for Joel Wilson and Quincy Boyce over Travis Hubbard and Akeem Daniels.
Dewani Lampkin, a gym mate of Hardy chalked up a hard-fought 2-1 decision win over Matthew Allensworth, before Jamal Eastman a nephew of former national middleweight champion Howard Eastman, won a 2-1 decision over Ryan Summer.
With the WBC tournament being the talk in the air, boxing fans can look forward to two more WBC/CABOFE title bouts on next month’s card, when De Clou will take on Trinidad and Tobago’s Kevin Placide for the middleweight title and Orlon ‘Pocket Rocket’ Rogers will clash with Dexter ‘The Kid’ Marques for the flyweight title.