All the glitches have been repaired, the kinks in the system ironed out and the early teething problems solved. As a result, the Caribbean Boxing Classic Series, an innovation which is the brainchild of local boxing promoter Carwyn Holland, is off and running after a debut performance Satur-day night at the Banks DIH Thirst Park ground.
And despite the poor crowd attendance (Holland estimates there were less than 1000 persons present) Holland has declared the event a success.
“The success story is that the CBC is off the ground,” the multi-talented Holland said.
“The victories for me were the fact that Guyana created history by hosting the first edition of the Caribbean Boxing Classic which is my brainchild and that Lennox Allen has moved a step closer to stardom.”
But it was not all smooth sailing for Holland who had quit about three years ago as a boxing promoter only to re-emerge now bigger and better.
The Caribbean Boxing Classic Series will help showcase fighters from around the Caribbean to the rest of the world through an agreement between Holland’s company Holland’s Entertainment Promotions (HEP) and the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
The deal allows for promoters from Guyana and the Caribbean to display their fighters and boxing cards to countries around the globe.
The fights will be broadcast on the CMC’s Caribvision programme which Holland said is shown 24 hours in the US. It is also shown in other parts of the world.
Holland and CMC are hoping that eventually, some of the major television networks such as Showtime, Home Box Office, and ESPN would be interested in airing some of the fights.
Pleased with production
Speaking of the fight card Holland said he was 90 per cent pleased with the production side of the event but was a bit disappointed with the actual promotion of the card.
“The production was well done. NCN (National Communications Network) has quality equipment and technical staff. They came in in a big way,” Holland said, adding that the NCN staff worked under the guidance of the CBC broadcast team.
Holland said he plans to send off the production within a day or two. He said he was unsure when the tape would be aired but said that highlights of Saturday night’s event were to have been broadcast by CMC’s Caribvision last evening.
“Guyanese will get to see the fight although I don’t know when it will be shown here but the public will be alerted,” he said.
Saturday night’s card was billed as the Spanish Invasion of Georgetown by Rafael Romero and Edison Morillo of the Dominican Republic, but the locals Lennox `Pretty Boy’ Allen and Leon `Hurry Up’ Moore quickly repelled the attack of the two Spaniards with Allen stopping Romero in the first round and Moore forcing Morillo to quit in the third.
Holland said the shortness of the main bouts would not impact on the production.
“Originally we had planned to show only the main supporting bout and the main bout. But, because of the shortness of those fights, the two earlier bouts will be shown to make up,” Holland said.
Unsavoury side
The night’s proceedings was not without its unsavoury side.
Holland said he was disappointed with the behaviour of some sections of the crowd moreso since one of the offending spectators was a boxer.
He said the boxer’s behaviour was “very disturbing” and made their work difficult.
Holland said the boxer was in a prohibited area and despite repeated warnings refused to cooperate and it was not until a report was made to an official of the GBBC who spoke to the boxer that the situation was corrected.
Holland also said some officials were guilty of giving their official passes to others so that they could enter the ground without paying.
“Things like those two incidents need to stop if boxing is to go forward, the young promoter opined.
Bright side
But this story has a happy ending.
Holland said he received a telephone call on Sunday from president of the North American Boxing Association (NABA) George Martinez of Canada who said he was “looking to get Allen in the mix.”
Holland said Allen had recently turned down an offer to fight Larry Sharp of Canada for the NABA junior middleweight title but said if the offer resurfaces he would take it up.
“I’m on a mission to get Guyana its next world champion.” Holland boldly declared.
And things are looking brighter still. Holland said the CBC has about four bookings for fights in countries such as Trinidad and The Bahamas.
Holland said the next venture for the CBC will be on December 2 in Barbados where Moore will fight for the FEDECARIBE and NABA titles while defending his bantamweight CABOFE title.
It is off and running and as it gains momentum there is no telling where or how far the CBC Series and promoter Carwyn Holland will end up.
