Stanza two of the Friday Night Fights sanctioned by the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) and the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) is expected to produce eight power packed bouts in the amateur and professional ranks at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall tonight.
According to tournament Director attached to the GABA Terrence Poole, Open Elite boxer Devon Boatswain of the GDF, featherweights Mervin Ageday of FYF and Stephen Gouveia of Harpy Eagle Gym, who will also be fighting each other, have displayed tremendous talent and are expected to put on a good show tonight. Boatswain will clash against Delroy James from the Republican Gym while Donald Tapp, of Timehri, and Pocket Rocket Gym’s Richard Williamson will be the curtain raiser at 8pm.
The night’s proceedings will close with four professional fights half an hour after the conclusion of the amateur bouts. Catch weight fighters Mandessa Moses and Alicia Marques will be fighting their second professional match and Marques has already declared that she will be looking to hand Moses her second loss by knocking her out despite the two being friends.
Elton ‘The Real Coolie Bully’ Dharry and the ring rusty Wilmot Hutson who last fought in 2002 will be the night’s feature event in the Bantamweight division. Shawn Pile will take on Paul Lewis Jr who had taken a one year hiatus from the sport after he had turned professional. Both fighters have expressed their confidence of emerging victorious over the other. But the hype and customary bravado displayed by boxers has reached fever pitch with Eversley Brown urging fans to “just wait and see” him beat Troy Lewis in their junior middleweight match in the main supporting bout.
Brown downplayed Lewis’ clinical destruction of Rudolph Fraser at the inaugural FNF last month; saying that he is positive that he will emerge victorious as he doubts Lewis could repeat that performance against him. Brown also declared himself to be “much stronger and a far better boxer.”
Meanwhile, GABA Pre-sident Steve Ninvalle told Stabroek Sport on Wednesday that Wincel Thomas will soon assume the post of national coach. In addition to honing the skills of prospective fighters, Thomas is also expected to visit gyms across the country in order to inform a comprehensive programme GABA is designing for its boxers. Ninvalle said the ministry and corporate community have answered the association’s call for help and it is therefore important that it fulfils its end of the bargain. He believes with these partnerships amateur boxing will get better and as the FNF Pro/Am cards progress more amateur bouts will be added. He said too in the light of the country’s historical connection and the success boxing has brought it in both forms, the sport has a right to demand more support and extended gratitude to those who had helped to sustain it.
GABA short listed three male amateur pugilists to represent Guyana at the upcoming CAC Games set for July in Barbados and the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India from October 3-11. Further, the fighters of the lone female amateur bout Amanda Norville of Harpy Eagle Gym and Theresa London of the Forgotten Youth Foundation Gym are also on the GABA’s roster to be encamped after the National Novice championships scheduled for April 9-11.
