The Caribbean island of St Lucia has latched on to an idea which, if successful, could change the very future of Caribbean sports.
The idea, though probably not new, is to link sports tourism with major sporting events.
So said Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira, Sports Consultant attached to the St Lucia government.
Though he hastened to point out that the idea was not his brainchild, Perreira was none-the-less enthusiastic about the upcoming ventures which will combine a sporting event on the island with other attractions.
The main sporting event, organized by the Goossen and Tutor Promotions is dubbed the “Showtime in Paradise” boxing event and is billed for the Beausejour Stadium tonight where Guyana’s Lennox Allen will be one of the featured performers.
This event will be followed by a major calypso and soca show tomorrow night and an international 10K road race on Sunday.
The 10K race will be staged from the Sandals Halcyon to the Sandals Grande hotels a distance of exactly 10K, Perreira said.
The events are also linked to the inaugural non-stop American Airlines flight to St Lucia which began yesterday where the island is hoping to cash in on the influx of Americans visiting the island.
For tonight’s card, Joey Abell, a south paw former footballer turned boxer, labelled the ‘Great White Hope’ fights 6′ 5″ Nigeria-born heavyweight Teke Uruh while Roger Cantrell faces 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward in a 10-round middleweight bout.
The 20-year-old Cantrell is unbeaten after 12 fights with eight knockouts while 23-year-old Ward is also unbeaten after 13 fights with eight kayoes.
Also on the card is Hector ‘Mach’ Camacho jnr who will fight James Crayton of Las Vegas in an eight-round super middleweight bout.
Perreira said the St Lucia Tourist Board will be getting support from Black Entertainment (BET) to help promote the island.
The card, he said, will be televised live by USA television network Showtime and will be beamed to 34 million homes in the US.
Perreira, who has been instrumental in getting Guyanese Allen to fight on the card, said at EC$50 for ringside and EC $ 25 dollars elsewhere the card was very affordable and he hoped to attract some 5000 supporters.
Perreira said the ultimate aim is for St Lucia to have a world title fight in 2010.
Meanwhile, Allen arrived in St Lucia on Wednesday along with his manager Carwyn Holland.
Holland yesterday told Stabroek Sport that his charge was resting comfortably at the Almond Smugglers Cove Hotel after training sessions on Wednesday evening and early yesterday morning.
Allen will clash with the more seasoned Jonathan Nelson, a 28 year-old American with over 30 fights in a middleweight bout tonight.
