DELON CHARLES is one half of identical twins born 25 years ago. He and brother Devon looked so much alike that Delon was able to successfully substitute for his sick brother and won a boxing match at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall without anyone, including the coach, recognising the switch.

That was back in 2007. Now in October 2014 Delon is hard at work as he trains for the Guyana Boxing Association’s National Open where he feels that a good showing at the upcoming event would be a springboard to better things.
“In my mind I am seeing the Pan Am and Olympic Games. Participating in those games would be a dream come through,” the bantamweight Delon Charles said. 2014 has been a good year for the diminutive but brave Charles.
In February he secured a gold medal in the four-nation Goodwill Games staged at the Sports Hall. Within three months he added two more gold medals, one from an invitational competition in Barbados and the other from the St Lucian Games.
In St. Lucia, Charles gave ring lessons, free of charge to a Martinique boxer, then a St Lucian on his way to the gold.
However, now looming in the not-too-distant future when the bell sounds to signal the start of the National Open he has a ring date with the lanky Imran Khan, who has ruled the local bantamweight scene for some time.
As coach Sebert Blake has masterly moulded Charles into a well-oiled fighting machine,it is easy to see why the dapper fighter oozes confidence.
“I don’t see Imran Khan as anything special, said Charles who is employed at the National Bureau of Standards. “ I am not boasting but I can handle any bantamweight anywhere.”
Since joining the amateur ranks 15 years ago the former Albouystown resident has been with the Forgotten Youth Foundation gym. In the past two weeks his training has intensified.
“Once I train hard then my fight would be easy. My focus now is the National Open and being crowned bantamweight champion. I am willing to do whatever it takes to get there,” he said
The GBA will stage the National Open on October 24, 25 and 26.