The Shondel Alfred – Corrine De Groot rematch seesaw has finally stopped as Stabroek Sport understands that the fight will now take place in March in Guyana at a date to be announced soon.
Last year, Alfred gained a unanimous decision win over De Groot to lift the Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA) bantamweight title and she also became Guyana’s third female world champion.
However, De Groot’s team lodged a protest, arguing that Alfred was sent four times to the canvas and at least on two of those occasions she was legitimately knocked down but referee Eion Jardine called them all ‘slips’.
WIBA president and owner of the belt Ryan Wissow had told Stabroek Sport in the first instance that the rematch would have been held within 120 days of their September 28 clash but again, nothing substantial was said about the time and where it would be held.
Stabroek Sport was privy to an e-mail sent by Wissow to the camp of Alfred which stated that Carwyn Holland will promote the fight but a date was still to be determined.
Contacted yesterday, Holland acknowledged this and stated that he will be partnering with Elton Prospere, a US-based Guyanese to stage the card.
“Well yea, myself and Elton are going to do the card, but we have not set a date in March as to when this fight would be held but it’s going to be in March, let’s say like March month-end, but this is on the condition that it is approved by the Guyana Boxing Board and no other promoter takes up the challenge,” Holland said.
During the entire matter, Alfred had been vociferous in her declaration that she was not afraid to defend her belt against De Groot who had lost her first professional fight in 12 outings in the square circle.
Meanwhile Stabroek Sport understands that Guyana’s first female world champion, the ‘Stealth Bomber’ Gwendolyn O’Neil will face Carlette Ewell for the WIBA light heavyweight title on the Alfred/De Groot rematch card.
“Ewell has contacted me via e-mail expressing her interest to fight Gwendolyn in Guyana but that’s as much I can say right now because we haven’t really put certain things together as yet,” Holland said. Meanwhile, the same position was related when Stabroek Sport spoke with Prospere in the USA via telephone.
He (Prospere) said that “as it is right now, I can’t really say much but yea, they are suppose to meet but I can’t give you much details because we haven’t gotten a date as yet.”
Ewell and O’Neil have met twice before – first on June 6, 2008 in St Maarten for the WIBA and WIBC light heavyweight titles which were held by O’Neil and the Guyanese retained her belts with a split decision.
They later met five months later, again in St Maarten but this time, Ewell had the better of O’Neil.
Judge Ferdinand Glasgow scored the fight 97-95, Joen Brison tipped it 98-96 and judge Jopie Williams had it 99-95 all in favour of Ewell who also took home the WIBA and WIBC titles which have since left O’Neil empty handed.
President of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GCB) Peter Abdool said that he is “up in the air” regarding the breakthrough in both fights.
“Well as it relates to the Alfred/De Groot fight, that fight had been affected by several different things, but I know that Odinga (Lumumba) had wanted to have the fight staged on the Raul Frank and ‘Six Head’ (Andrew Lewis) card which is not a bad thing,” Abdool said.
He said that the fighters had previously requested that the rematch be under a purse-bid, meaning that the card will go to the promoter who is willing to pay the highest purse or money and he added that he had a legitimate request.
