GDF dominant with 6 wins from 7 bouts on opening night

THE Guyana Defence Force (GDF) gym commenced their best-gym title defence in impressive style last Friday night when the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) opened the Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis National Novices Championships at the National Gymnasium. Out of the seven matches contested, the GDF won six.

The evening’s excitement began with a thrilling first match, featuring Lennox Harvey, known as “the upper-cut master,” deftly outmanoeuvring Anthony Sanders of the GDF. In the latter part of the opening round, Sanders faced an eight-count, underscoring Harvey’s dominance. After three intense rounds of boxing, Harvey, representing the Police Boxing Gym, emerged the victor.
The second bout of the night showcased Christopher Henry squaring off against Shawn Rodney. Both fighters wasted no time, launching a relentless barrage of powerful punches right from the start. A mere 55 seconds into the second round, Rodney opted to abandon the contest due to a critical blow, resulting in Henry’s win via the judge’s scorecard in the 66-71kg Light Middleweight semi-final.

Meanwhile, the matchup between Alex Butcher and his gymmate Jamal Booker witnessed Butcher emerging triumphant. The contest was halted at the two-minute and 58-second mark of the first round, with Butcher declared the winner by Referee Stopped Contest (RSC).

The stage was set for the light-heavyweight clashes, featuring Malachi Clarke against Joseph George and Sherwin Gravesande against Kevin O’Neil. George emerged victorious over Clarke, securing his place in the semi-finals of the 75-80 kg division. In the light-heavyweight semi-final between O’Neil and Gravesande, O’Neil was unable to continue just one minute and 23 seconds into the second round, resulting in his loss through abandonment.

In another exciting match, Zidhan Wray, representing the GDF, faced off against Leandrea Abrams from the police force. Wray’s extended reach proved pivotal as he defeated Abrams with a match-winning jab, sending Abrams to the canvas just one minute and 20 seconds into the second round. Unfortunately for Abrams, he couldn’t recover from the blow, granting Wray a well-deserved victory and a spot in the semi-finals of the super-heavyweight division (90 kg and over).

The evening reached an electrifying conclusion as Rayan Harry triumphed over Oswald Yaw of the Republican team. Harry secured the win two minutes and 34 seconds into the second round, with the referee stopping the contest as Yaw failed to recover from a second eight-count, delivering an unforgettable end to the night’s action-packed boxing event.

The three-day tournament concludes tonight at the National Gymnasium.