By Emmerson Campbell
Guyana’s welterweight champion Iwan ‘Pure Gold’ Azore and Simeon ‘Candy Man’ Hardy proved yesterday at their contract signing at the Abdool and Abdool building that there is indeed have bad blood between them.
Azore and Hardy engaged each other in a bare-knuckle punch-out resulting in Azore being bloodied after he sustained a cut over his left eye.
Hardy,24, trash talked Azore in a Stabroek Sport publication earlier this month, disclosing that ‘Pure Gold’ is on a pillow list, a list of names of opponents that he plans to put to sleep on the canvas. This must have drawn the ire of the national welterweight champion resulting in the pair going at it even before their signatures were affixed to their respective contracts.
The Trinidad and Tobago-based Azore will match gloves with Hardy when the two vie for the vacant World Boxing Council’s (WBC) CABOFE welterweight title in the headliner of the 20th edition of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC), Guyana Fight Night Pro Am card on January 27 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
The undercard will feature two more welterweights with Jermaine King coming up against Cecil Smith over four rounds while Mitchell Rogers will take on Anthony Augustin in a four-round heavyweight fight.
In a four-round catchweight contest, Guyana’s middleweight champion Edmond DeClou will match gloves with James Walcott.
The ‘Candy Man,’ who is undefeated in his six bouts, winning five of them within round three with his trade mark ‘chin checker’ punch is a known knockout artist but Azore, 29, is a battle-tested southpaw with a record of 14 wins, four losses and three draws.
Hardy trash-talked Azore again at the contract signing reiterating that he will put him to sleep.
“Azore is like an empty beer bottle, I am like a bottle of Hennessy,” boasted Hardy. On Fridays’ people get paid and want to go and party so on the 27th I will finish the fight early so everyone can still go out after and party. Everybody knows what I am about when the chin checker lands, it’s goodnight Azore.”
Azore, who stopped short of predicting a knockout, assured those present that Hardy does not have what it takes to beat him.
“Simeon does not have what it takes to beat me. Simeon fight a lot of nobodies – who is this kid?” asked Azore. “All this talking will stop when I teach him a lesson in the ring.”
Will the ‘Candy Man’ remain unbeaten or will ‘Pure Gold’ capture the title? The answer will be known on the 27th.
Meanwhile, the names of the pugilists who will be taking part in the amateur segment of the card will be disclosed at a later date.
The monthly card is an initiative of the GBBC in collaboration with the Sports Ministry and the National Communications Network (NCN).
Sponsors of the event include Digicel, Giftland Office Max, Courts, Banks DIH Limited and Ansa McCal.
Admission is $1000, while children will be asked to pay half price. Bell time is 20:00 hrs.
