Hardy looking to avenge ‘Big Truck’
… Austin dedicating fight to Alison
FOLLOWING a break for last month’s World Boxing Council’s Cup Championships, the monthly Guyana Boxing Board of Control, in collaboration with the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association-organised ProAm Friday Night Fights returns with what promises to be 28 sizzling rounds of action. The 21st edition of the card will punch off at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Friday March 30, with newly crowned WBC/CABOFE champions Simeon ‘Candyman’ Hardy and Edmond ‘Wonder Boy’ De Clou in action against Mark Austin and Kelsie George respectively.
At yesterday’s press briefing and contract-signing ceremony, both Austin and Hardy dedicated their upcoming matchup to individuals they viewed as their role models, with Hardy looking to avenge his cousin Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite’s loss to Shawn ‘The Sniper’ Cox, while Austin is fighting to the memory of his coach the late Donald Allison.
“Since I started fighting, I was to face Hardy, but the fight was turned down as my coach wanted him (Hardy) to get a couple fights before he faced me. That was done and here we are now and I know that I am not going down in the first round.
“He is the CABOFE champion when I should have been holding that belt and I intend to go out there and do my best, I have three children and my son said, ‘Dad, I wish to take after you’ so it is only right I set a perfect example for him to follow, by beating the ‘Candyman’ and prove that I deserve to be the WBC/CABOFE champion,” said Austin.
The 23-year-old whose record reads 7-3-1 said in the early days of his career, he was taught by the late Donald Allison and when he steps into the ring to face Hardy, he will be dedicating the fight and victory to his late coach, who told him to knock a man back in the same spot he had hit you and see who feels hurt.
“He proves himself to be the ‘Chin Checker’ on more than one occasion and I intend to show the boxing public that I am the ‘Iron Chin’. I am not afraid of him. How can I be afraid of somebody who has been running from me all the time; we are here now and there is no way to run,” said Austin.
Not known as a pugilist who allows his opponent’s word to rest easily, the 24-year-old Hardy called Austin a ‘carrion crow’ who wants to fly among the eagles, while warning him that he picked the wrong time to face him.
“First of all, you have me very confused right now, because I never had any call to face you early in my career and I am sure Mr Abdool and the other officials can recall the horrid time I have had with opponents before, with some of them not turning up and even when they do, refused to come out of the locker room to face me,” said Hardy.
He added, “I was disappointed multiple times, so I don’t know about being called to challenge me and I turned the fight down, I cannot recall that. But, he claims to be the ‘Iron Chin’ and got knocked out by a 140-pound fighter.
For the record, I hit 10 times harder than that man and I don’t know why the officials here have placed a Carrion Crow like you to fly amongst Eagles like myself, because I will take you to a high altitude and then drop you back to the ground, where you will fall hard and while I cannot say what round I will knock him out in, I know he will be knocked out for his mouth.
“I have never been more motivated to train and fight, than how I am now having seen my cousin lose last month, I have upped my tempo in the training and I am hungrier than ever and definitely you have chosen the wrong time to face me, because I am in a destructive mood.”
De Clou (10-2-1) will be involved in a catchweight bout against George (0-1) and, according to the newly crowned WBC/CABOFE middleweight champion, he was looking forward to a more challenging opponent leading up to the WBC Cup which punches off in August.
“I do hope he comes prepared to fight, as I am looking to prove that I am worthy to be called both the national and WBC/CABOFE champion.
“While I must thank God for sparing my life so I can be here today, after I was involved in an accident yesterday (Monday), I wish to say also that I was hoping to have a more worthy opponent, somebody in the calibre of Howard Eastman or even Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis, since I know the competition in the WBC Cup will be stiff.
“I am not underestimating him, since I was trained to protect myself at all times, but at the same time, he is not in my league and I will be looking for a clinical victory,” said De Clou.
The soft-spoken George appeared not to be intimidated by his opponent’s words and calmly said he will be leaving his predictions for fight night.
Other bouts on the card would see Mandessa Moses taking on Venezuela’s Anys Cedillo in the main bout in a super bantamweight encounter, while Barbados-based Guyanese Gardel Roberts will take on Rudolph Fraser for the second time in a featherweight clash.
Meanwhile, president of the GBBC Peter Abdool said the WBC/CABOFE executives may be forced to identify a new heavyweight champion, since it was disclosed that Cox, who knocked out Braithwaite in the first round, was given a shot at the World Boxing Association cruiserweight title, which he accepted.
The amateur bouts on the card will be announced at a later date by the GABA. Admission to the venue would be $1 000 for adults and $500 for children and boxing fans are asked to note that there will be no live broadcast of the night’s action, which gets under way at 20:00hrs, on NCN Channel 11.