– Frank to clash with Dalton for national middleweight title
By Donald Duff
National middleweight champion Denny `Deadly’ Dalton will clash with Raul Frank on July 5 for the national middleweight title in a five-fight card organized by the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC).
The fight will take place at a venue to be decided.
“We are looking at a number of different options including the National Stadium at Providence, Banks DIH Thirst Park and the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, said Eion Jardine, a member of the GBBC.
“The board has been working very feverishly over the last two months to arrive at a boxing card that can be pleasing to the public after not having a fight card for the last eight months,” said former longstanding secretary of the GBBC, Trevor Arno.
“Several calls have been made to various countries to solicit fighters for instance Brazil, Venezuela, Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados and finally the USA, Arno added.
“We spoke to several individuals in the USA in Lennox Blackmore, Colin Morgan and Seon Bristol and it was Bristol who finally helped us to finalise the fighter in Frank to facilitate us having a main bout,” Arno added.
“During this time several other fighters had been contacted by the board to make up the supporting bouts and have been training.”
“We intend to make this very big and would depend on major sponsors to come on board as well as the support of the public with the purchase of tickets.”
The bout will be the main one on the card which promises 34 rounds of fistic fury and has been labelled `Judgment Day’.
This will be the first time that Frank, an overseas-based Guyanese, will be fighting for a national title even though he has fought twice for world titles and has held the USBA welterweight and the IBF Latino middleweight titles.
Dalton said yesterday he was excited about the prospect of fighting Frank and was looking forward to it.
“Well, I know he is a top fighter and you want to face the top fighters to prove that you are the best,” he told Stabroek Sport in an invited comment.
Dalton added:” I’m much focused right now. I am in camp and by the grace of God, I gotta win this fight.”
And Bristol, the man credited with making the fight happen told Stabroek Sport from New York yesterday that he recalls Dalton making a request to fight Frank while Frank was in Guyana to witness the Gwendolyn O’Neil and Kathy Rivers fight a few years back.
“I remember being in Guyana when O’Neil fought Kathy Rivers. Raul Frank was at that event and Dalton made the request asking Raul to fight him,” Bristol said.
“Denny Dalton has actually gotten his wish,” Bristol said.
Bristol said the fight will be a major shot in the arm for Dalton who he said was a good fighter.
As for Frank, Bristol said it will give fight fans in Guyana an opportunity to see what Frank looks like today as opposed to 15 years ago.
The main supporting bout will pit Pamela London, former WIBC world heavyweight champion against Veronica Blackman.
Blackman is the number sixth rated fighter in the WBA heavyweight world rankings.
The rest of fights will see Michael De Mattos of Guyana against Joel Mc of Trinidad in a six round middleweight contest and Shelly ~The Boom’ Gibson versus Andrea Duncan of Trinidad in a four round heavyweight contest.
The first fight of the night will pit Cecil Smith versus Charlton `The Fighting Rajah’ Skeete in a featherweight bout over four rounds.
Dalton has fought three times as a middleweight while Frank has only fought once.
But while Dalton will have the edge in that department, Frank will have added motivation as Dalton boasts a victory over Frank’s younger brother Andre whom he defeated in a four round middleweight bout on October 30, 1999.
Frank has fought 35 times and has a record of 27 wins (13 kayos), five losses, one draw and two no-contests while Dalton’s record is 24 fights, 16 wins (11 kayos), seven losses and one draw.
Last year in Trinidad Dalton knocked out Kevin Placide in the 10th round to win the World Boxing Empire (WBE) welterweight and the WBC Cabofe titles.
Frank last fought in Guyana on December 26 1992 losing to Michael Benjamin on points in a welterweight contest.
Should Frank win it could reignite interest in a Frank/ Andrew `Six head’ Lewis bout.
The two were scheduled to fight in December last year but plans fell through.
