ONE of Guyana’s most celebrated boxing sons Patrick Ford made light work of Canadian Jean LaPointe on March 30, 1979.A gangly featherweight Ford knocked out the LaPointe in round four in Port of Spain, Trinidad in his first professional contest outside of Guyana.

The win improved Ford’s record to 10-0 with six knockouts. LaPointe was a former Canadian lightweight champion and earlier in his career was defeated by Cleveland Denny, another Guyanese.
Ford had acquired an appetite for betting up heavier opponents. Six months before he met LaPointe, Ford secured the biggest victory of a relatively short career.
The national featherweight champion was hauled in as a late substitute to fight super featherweight Diego Alcala of Panama. The Guyanese provided a resting place for Alcala in the ninth round. A fearless tactically sound featherweight Ford earned many distinctions during a professional career that lasted 11 years, one of them being the first Guyanese to fight for a world title.
He made his pro debut in April 1976 and on January 23, 1978 proved that he had power in both hands when he knocked out Trinidadian Clyde Wilson in the fourth round. The following month the hard-hitting featherweight was crowned Guyana’s champion.
In December 1979 Ford knocked out Cecil Hernandez in the 10th round. Hernandez would later die of injuries sustained in the fight that was held in Guyana.
On May 31, 1987, Ford ended a career that produced 19 victories (12 KOs) and four defeats, with a points-victory over Albert Brown. He died in the USA on November 13, 2011 at age 55.