With nine days to the world title rematch fight between Shondel ‘Mystery Lady’ Alfred and Corinne Van Ryck De Groot for the bantamweight title, it is not yet clear where the bout will be kept.
Initially, the fight was scheduled for the Princess Hotel, pending the outcome of negotiations between promoter and owner of Mc Neal Enterprise Odinga Lumumba and the Management of the Princess Hotel. Subsequently, when Stabroek Sport enquired where negotiations were and whether the fight will be held at the venue, Lumumba always “we are still negotiating”.
He had also expressed his confidence at the signing of the contract on March 25 that negotiations will return a positive yield.
However, Stabroek Sport learnt from a source yesterday that the fight will be held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH).
When this publication contacted Lumumba yesterday for some clarification on the issue he bluntly said the venue will be clarified today. this new development has further added to the drama that has surrounded this bout after the decision of the fight was announced on September 26 of last year.
It is unclear what was yielded from negotiations and whether the fight will be postponed again. But it is even more interesting to note that Stabroek Sport was told by promoter Seon Bristol, owner of BrisO Promotions, that he and Lumumba had been conducting negotiations on having the world title fight held on BrisO Promotions card on June 5 at the Princess Hotel.
On that card Guyanese ‘Deadly’ Denny Dalton will be fighting Puerto Rico’s Hector Camacho Jr. for the vacant World Boxing Federation (WBF) Intercontinental middleweight title.
Further, for a fight of this magnitude there has been very little advertising and it is not yet known what the admission price for international events are.
Meanwhile, both Alfred and De Groot are currently scaling down their preparations for fight night. Both fighters have expressed their eagerness to get in the ring and have also weighed in on their chances when the fight ends.
