WBC/CABOFE champions looking for impressive win tonight
REIGNING World Boxing Council (WBC)/Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) middleweight and welterweight champions, Edmond De Clou and Simeon Hardy, said they will be looking for impressive wins at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall tonight. De Clou will be facing Kelsie George of Berbice in an eight-round catch-weight affair, while Mark Austin, who claims to possess the iron chin, will match gloves with Hardy in a six-round welterweight clash when the Guyana Boxing Board of Control punches off its 21st edition of the ProAm Friday Night Fights.
At the press conference held in the studio of National Communications Network Channel 11 yesterday afternoon, Hardy who is known as the ‘Candyman’ and packs a punch called the ‘chin check’, has offered to give Austin an early bedtime story.
“When you fought Revlon Lake, you got a late night bedtime story and I will be adding to that, the only thing is mine will be an early one, something you can relate to your children in later days,” said Hardy whose record reads 7-0 with six of his victories coming via knockout.
Austin’s record as a professional fighter is 7-3-1 and while he refused to disclose his game plan for tonight’s action, he promised to be the man responsible for handing Hardy his first professional loss in his career.
George (0-1) was absent for yesterday’s press briefing, but sent a message to De Clou (10-1-1), saying his opponent’s national middleweight belt should really be around his waist and he will prove same tonight, to which De Clou charged George to stay at home.
“He (George) is not threat to me as he has not proved himself worthy enough to send me any threats. He only has one fight as a pro and he lost same and there is no way I will encourage somebody like that to be a threat to me.
“I told Placide not to turn up at the Sports Hall, when we were to battle for the CABOFE title and he turned up. The end result is evident today, I am the CABOFE middleweight champion and my message to George is – stay in Berbice do not come to town or you would not like what you will get,” stated De Clou.
Mandessa Moses, who has never fought within her original weight category during her seven professional bouts in which she has chalked up a record reading 6-1, makes a return to the ring after a long layoff, and will match gloves with the heavier Pauline London.
Moses has defeated such opponents as Margaret ‘Chico’ Walcott, Sharon Warde, Veronica Blackman and Kwinda Rogers who were all heavier than she, after suffering her first defeat to Trinidad and Tobago’s Wendy Allen in her first professional bout.
London (4-9) promised to take Moses back to that loss tonight, by reigning bombs on her during their six-round clash – a threat Moses laughed at while saying she sparred with her opponent for tonight before and never saw the bombs she is talking about.
According to president of the GBBC and CABOFE, Peter Abdool, Moses can find herself facing reigning Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA) champion Shondell ‘Mystery Lady’ Alfred sometime soon, as that matchup is being looked at.
The other professional bout on tonight’s card which punches off at 20:00hrs will see Rudolph Fraser looking to avenge his loss to Barbados-based Guyanese Gordel Roberts in a six-round featherweight matchup.
Four amateur bouts featuring Shawn Michael, Keisha Arokium, Dellon Charles and Ron Smith who will be taking on Joel Williamson, Ansilla Norville, Richard Williamson and Romeo Norville respectively, will punch off the night’s action.
With there being no live broadcast of tonight’s action and with the main bout being unknown, boxing fans and enthusiasts are asked to pay $1 000 (adults) $500 (children) as an entrance fee to witness the action live.