For Lennox `Cappel’ Daniels one thing is certain come Saturday night and it is that his fighter Clive `Wonder Kid’ Atwell will win his bout against Orlan ‘Pocket Rocket’ Rogers on the Thirst Park Explosion card.
Atwell himself seems not too enthused about the prospects of fighting Rogers.
“I was expecting with no disrespect to Rogers an opponent of a different caliber,” he told Stabroek Sport yesterday.
He added:”Rogers had numerous losses and in the boxing World, if you beat people with few losses it looks big for you. Now me, going up against Rogers who has quite a few losses, when I beat him it will mean nothing.”
Atwell said it is his belief if he fought someone with an outstanding record and defeated them, then he would feel as if he has accomplished something.
He, however, said that respect should be given to Rogers for accepting the fight.
Clive AtwellLennox Daniels
“He is one of the persons that will not refuse a fight. As such, I must say hats off to him at that end. But at the end of the day, I am expecting to win, I am expected to go out and do what I do best, give the fans what they love to see some of the old Atwell.”
Those sentiments were also echoed by Daniels who said that even though Rogers can take care of himself, Atwell will be too much for him.
“I mean, not disrespecting anybody, but Rogers is not in his category,” said the experienced Daniels.
According to Atwell, Rogers was the substitute after three fighters he thought were more suited, indicated that they no longer wanted the fight.
The fighters were; Gardel Roberts of Barbados, and Ray Sandiford and Rudolph Fraser.
Facing those fighters, he said, would have been worth the while, as together they are among the top amateur fighters.
“I have travelled to Games with those guys so I think it would have been worthwhile coming out of the same school, it would have shown the better man out of the batch,” was his take.
Atwell said he later learnt that Elton `Coolie Bully’ Dharry was contacted for the fight, but reportedly refused it citing that Atwell was too heavy. Atwell said if that was so he would have had no problems losing the weight, because that is what he has to do in order to face Rogers.
Atwell said he is expected to lose an estimated 20 pounds, something he was only made aware of the day after he arrived in Guyana, but said he agreed to it nonetheless.
He told this newspaper that he arrived in Guyana a week and a half ago.
He said that losing that amount of weight in such a short space of time was very difficult and it has begun to take a toll on him. He said he is beginning to feel very tired, but said success only comes with hard work.
Asked if he is losing the weight under the supervision of a doctor, Atwell said no. According to him, he is aware of the dangers of what he is doing, but said he is making full use of the internet, which he said has lots of tips on how to lose the weight in a short time.
“I am eating cautiously, I am using a lot of rehydration fluids like Gatorade and lots of supplements,” he disclosed.
According to him he is not eating any rice but soup for lunch and eggs for breakfast with no bread. Atwell said he has not had a solid mean in the last four days.
This he said is not his first time losing weight for a fight, but said it’s the first time he has lost that amount. He had lost weight for two fights at the amateur level, the most at the time being four pounds.
Daniels, asked about Atwell having to drastically lose the weight in such a short time, said he is very concerned about it. According to him, Atwell needed at least two months to lose that amount of weight.
He said that he is aware that weight loss in preparation for fights is nothing new to Atwell, but said weight loss should be gradual over a period. One of the problems he said Atwell is experiencing is fluctuation in his weight. That he said happens because Atwell has to eat.
He, however, said that they are not prepared to go below 130 pounds and that was related to the Guyana Boxing Board of Control, which, he said, was agreed to by the board to the best of his knowledge. Daniels said by fight night, Atwell would have the required weight as they are close to achieving it.
At the Andrew ‘Six Heads’ Lewis gym where he is in training, Atwell said he likes working with speed and skills so he is focusing on those two areas, so he is approaching the fight with caution. “I have seen Rogers fight many times and he is the kind of fighter that if you fight carelessly you can be caught up foolishly. So I will be cautious and alert to any and everything he might do.”
Approaching the one year mark as a professional fighter Atwell said he is enjoying it. His only problem is the shifting of opponents with respect to the short notice to lose weight in preparation for a fight.
At 23-years-old, Atwell said he has been living in Dominica for three years now, operating his own business, while pursuing his Christian duty. He refused to disclose what is the nature of his business but would only say “I am a legitimate businessman.”
He said that life on the island is good, but it does not have much to offer him as professional boxer. However, he is working with fellow Guyanese Leon ‘Hurry Up’ Moore to have that worked out.
“Professional boxing in Dominica is not so big, they have amateur boxing and the fellas participate in a lot of games. But they don’t work to reach anywhere, not boasting but I can go in the ring with any good fighter in Dominica and I could make rings around them.
“Their skills cannot be compared with mine, their knowledge of the game cannot be compared to mine and it is all about how they work”.
