GUYANESE celebrate Christmas, New Year and Diwali with fireworks, but they w\ill also have an opportunity to see `fireworks’ tonight when the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) stages its `Battle of the Contenders’ five-bout card at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall from 20:00hrs.

There were many exchanges of words between Jamaica’s Sakima Mullings and Guyana’s Derrick Richmond, the two fighters who will square off in the feature fight when the GBBC held a press conference at the Banks DIH Sports Club, Thirst Park yesterday.
The light middleweight contest is scheduled for eight rounds.
Mullings, who recently won the Wray and Nephew Contenders Series that was staged in Jamaica and which attracted a number of boxers from around the Caribbean, boasted that he is a crafty boxer and would be elusive tonight, but Richmond in response said, “Mulling would not be invisible, he’ll be right there in front of me and so he cannot \get away from me.”
Mullings with 17 fights under his belt, 16 of which he has won with 11 via knockout, said he will give Richmond a boxing lesson in the art of the sport, but the Guyanese (Richmond) who has a mere five fights to his name as a professional with three wins by knockout said he is ready and raring to go.
Mullings acknowledged that Richmond is a power-puncher. He said he has studied the Guyanese for some time and credits him for his power-punching but said Richmond would not be able to land those punches: “I’ll be invisible.”
Richmond, who will be looking to improve his record against a more seasoned fighter, said he will go into the ring tonight and give his best.
Mullings said once he sees weaknesses and flaws in Richmond, he will take advantage of those flaws and weaknesses and he is prepared mentally, physically and spiritually.
According to Richmond, Mullings will have a problem with his (Richmond) southpaw style.
Mullings, in reply, told Richmond that he (Richmond) is an inexperienced fighter and boasted that he (\Mullings) has lots of experience and would use it to his full advantage.
Both Richmond and Mullings have shed a lot of weight for the bout but according to Richmond, that would not affect his power punches.
Mullings said what he might not be able to make up in strength, he will make up with his skills and technique.
Richmond’s latest victim via knock-out was CABOFE middleweight champion Edmond DeClou whose jaw was broken during the contest.
The main supporting bout on the night’s card brings together Mark Austin and Dexter Gonsalves in an eight-round light welterweight contest.
Austin, who is a last-minute replacement for Trinidad-based Guyanese Iwan Azore who had to pull out because of a hand injury he sustained during a sparring session in Trinidad, is no pushover and will go into the ‘square jungle’ tonight boasting a record of seven victories from nine fights with one knock-out, while Gonsalves has three knock-out victories to his name.
Austin’s camp is very optimistic of a victory tonight despite the late offer for the fight, since he possesses exceptional boxing skills and has been training very hard.
Austin said he would not go into the ring tonight looking for a knock-out victory, but if the opportunity presents itself he would take advantage of it.
The undercard will feature former super bantamweight world rater Leon `Hurry Up’ Moore is a six-round rematch against Mark Murray whom he stopped in the third round when they first met five years ago.
Winston will face Jamaica’s Kemahl Russell who has two fights to his name and he won both by knock-out.
This middleweight contest is scheduled for four rounds.
The other bout on the undercard brings together CABOFE flyweight champion Dexter Marques and Richard Williamson in a bantamweight rematch.