“JOEL Mc Rae had sent me a threat before we fought and what happened to him? Howard Eastman said I was young and he intends to teach me a boxing lesson and what happened to him also? Both Mc Rae and Eastman suffered defeats at my hand, so Kevin Placide’s threat means nothing to me.” Those were the words of national middleweight champion Edmond De Clou after Chronicle Sport caught up with him yesterday morning, following an intense workout under the watchful eyes of Lennox ‘Capo’ Daniels and Terrence Poole at the Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis gym in Albouystown.
De Clou is presently undergoing preparations for his upcoming World Boxing Council (WBC) Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) middleweight title clash with Trinidad and Tobago’s Kevin Placide, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Saturday, February 25.
The card dubbed WBC Cup Caribbean Championships and being promoted by the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC), will see four other WBC/CABOFE title fights being staged, with the main bout featuring former WBC cruiserweight champion Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite opposing Barbados’ Shawn ‘The Sniper’ Cox for the heavyweight title.
The 24 year old De Clou  wasted no time in expressing his feelings with regards to the 37 year old Placide’s words, when the Trinidadian told president of the GBBC and CABOFE Peter Abdool, “Let De Clou know he should not look to the WBC Championship, since he will not past four rounds.”
“Who does he think he is that he has the right to send me such a threat? The last person to do so was Joel Mc Rae and I beat him very, very badly so I am not intimidated by his threats right now. I am training hard under the eyes of Lennox Daniels, because this fight is very important to me.
I said before I fought Eastman for the national middleweight title, that my aim is to go higher and higher in the sport and certainly the opportunity has presented itself with this fight and I will be looking to the challenge from him.”
He added, “Placide has been knocked out by Eastman, who was then defeated by me for the middleweight title of Guyana and when the time  reach for Placide to represent his mouth, I will definitely be teaching him a boxing lesson on 25th February, as I intend to not only win, but do so in convincing fashion while shutting his mouth up at the same time.”
De Clou who last saw action in the ring, when he fought his good friend James Walcott on the GBBC ProAm Friday Night Fights, has a record of 9-1-1  with his lone loss coming at the hands of national light heavyweight champion Kwesi Jones, in comparison to Placide’s 12-5-1.
He has switched his residency from Linden to Georgetown, with the aim of intensifying his training not only for the Placide’s bout, but the WBC Cup Championships as well.
Looking at Placide’s record and the list of fighters he has faced including Julian Tannis and Christopher ‘Shaka’ Henry from Barbados, along with Guyana’s Denny Dalton, the soft spoken De Clou said such a track record does not faze him as it is only names.
“He fought Dalton and lost the first time before he took the rematch while the only person to defeat me is Jones (Kwesi) even though that lost came after I defeated him the first time.
Placide is nothing in my eyes, just another stepping stone as I aim towards making a name for myself in the sport of boxing. I said it before I fought Eastman and I maintain that nothing will get in my way, as I seek to bring added glory to Guyana through boxing,” stated De Clou.
“I moved to Georgetown to be more close to my coach. I have been working by myself because my coach was busy due to work. This is an important assignment for me, one that demands my undivided attention.
Added to that, his threat has made it more serious, since I don’t take lightly to threats. I came down to work under the guidance of Lennox Daniels who has been doing an excellent job so far. I am not fazed by his words and definitely he will be taught a boxing lesson when we meet. I just hope he can back his talks” stated De Clou.
Apart from the De Clou/Placide and Brathwaite/Cox showdown, other fights on the card will see Dexter ‘The Kid’ Marques meeting Orland ‘Pocket Rocket’ Rogers, Elton ‘Coolie Bully’ Dharry facing Selwyn Lett and Revlon Lake opposing Miguel ‘Hands of Stone’ Antoine.
Admission to the venue is $3,000 for ringside and $1,500 for stands and boxing fans are reminded that this card which gets underway at 20:00hrs, would not be televised live by National Communications Network Channel (NCN) Channel  11.