FORMER Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA) heavyweight champion Gwendolyn ‘Stealth Bomber’ O’Neil will have another shot at the title she first held in 2010, against compatriot Shelly Gibson, according to president Ryan Wissow. 

Wissow told Chronicle Sport that the fight will take place in Guyana, while a venue and other details relating to the fight will be announced later this week.
According to the WIBA founder, he’s “very happy about this fight and “I very much look forward to returning to Guyana for this fight. Gwendolyn is attempting to regain the title, and Shelly is a solid challenger”.
The fight would be the first meeting between the 35-year-pld Gibson and the 45-year-old O’Neil, whose name was placed in Guyana’s history books in 2004, when she became the country’s first female world champion.
It’s been almost three years since O’Neil has stepped into the ring, dating back to her WIBA light heavyweight title defence against fellow Guyanese Pauline London on October 29, 2011, winning by a split decision.
Apart from losing her 2005-won Women’s International Boxing Council (WIBC) title in 2008 to Carlette Ewell, O’Neil was stripped of both her light heavyweight and heavyweight WIBA titles due to inactivity.
O’Neil has fought 26 times during her 15-year career, winning 18 fights, seven via the knock-out route but she has also lost seven of those bouts, feeling the canvas on three occasions.
She was put down on her debut in 1999 against Trinidad and Tobago’s Kim Quashie in Port-Of-Spain and then twice to Laila Ali (2004 and 2007).
Meanwhile, for Gibson it would be her first shot at a World title although she has fought fighters who are highly ranked in the world.
She burst onto the scene in 2003 with a TKO debut win over Cheryl Greaves at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, but she went on to lose two consecutive fights, with her ring record now standing at seven losses and five wins from 12 fights.
Her last encounter was against Shondell Parks on December 26 in Linden at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground where she gained a unanimous decision win.
The WIBA is considered the most respected sanctioning body in women’s professional boxing. O’Neil and Shondell Alfred are the only Guyanese fighters to ever hold its titles.

(By Rawle Toney)