Over the past few months local boxing fans have been treated to some fine performances from some of the finest craftsmen of the fistic game who have made a name for themselves internationally.
Some may say that these veteran boxers have outlived their usefulness on the international circuit but they have provided Guyanese fans with top class entertainment and what could be regarded as a revival of the sport locally.
It all started when US-based former world welterweight contender Raul Frank was invited to Guyana to oppose ‘Deadly’ Denny Dalton for the national middleweight title.
Frank was injured in his preparation and could not travel to the land of his birth which paved the way for another former world rated fighter 37-year-old Howard “The Battersea Bomber” Eastman to step in as a late replacement.
Following his departure from the United Kingdom where he campaigned for years, Eastman, a former British, Commonwealth and European middleweight champion kept a low profile in his hometown Berbice and when he was called up for the bout he took up the challenge.
Knowing the aggressive style of Dalton many boxing pundits expected a close battle and the 12-rounder at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall lived up to expectation.
A ring-rusty Eastman used his vast experience to score a close points decision and wrestled the title from Dalton. The fight could have been a turning point for the future of professional boxing in Guyana since over the past few years the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) and promoters were faced with a Herculean task to stage bouts with boxers of the caliber of Eastman and Dalton.
But Dalton could have been the man to start it all much earlier following his epic three-match showdown with compatriot former world welterweight champion 37-year-old Andrew “Sixhead” Lewis.
Many thought that the Dalton/Eastman clash would have been the end in seeing the country’s great fighters in action locally since it was Eastman’s maiden contest on local soil.
Lewis then challenged Eastman for his middleweight crown in another crowd pleaser at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence.
Eastman retained his title in another close bout and the big question now is would Lewis return for a rematch?
On the same card 39-year-old Frank finally made it to Guyana to keep a ring date with former national middleweight contender Winston Pompey.Frank displayed a high level of fistic artistry in scoring a six-round TKO victory over his opponent and seems eager to take on all and sundry.
This has left the local boxing climate at fever pitch as local fans anticipate other great fights in the making especially since another former world contender and national middleweight champion Wayne Harris has thrown out a challenge to Eastman.
Canadian-based Harris, 44 years old, who last fought in 2006, is eager for a clash with Eastman early in the New Year.
Andre “Stone” Purlette, the 35-year-old hard-hitting cruiserweight boxer returned home recently from the United States and he is also keen on joining the action.
The boxers all seem ready so boxing fans anxiously wait an exciting 2009 but the final punch will have to be delivered by the GBBC, promoters and sponsors to make it a reality.
