By Emmerson Campbell
“I am predicting a victory, that is what we are going in there for, we are not going in there to lose, we’re going in there to win. ‘Candy Man’ can’t beat Mark Austin, ‘Candy Man’ beat ah set of washouts, that is how he built his reputation.”
Venomous words spoken yesterday by Mark Austin’s trainer George ‘Canchie’ Oprecht after a pad session at the Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis gym during an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport.
Austin is scheduled to face the World Boxing Council (WBC) Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) welterweight champion Simeon ‘Candy Man’ Hardy on the 21st edition of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) Guyana Fight Night Pro Am card at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on March 30.
This eight-round non-title affair is arguably the most anticipated fight on the card as both fighters have a genuine dislike for one another.
During the interview, Oprecht promised an Austin victory and opined that Austin is a more skilful and faster fighter while Hardy does not have what it takes to defeat Austin since he has only built his record on “a lot of old people and washout handpicked fighters.”
“Mark is a more skillful and a faster fighter, we don’t have no special thing with that boy (Hardy) – that boy just started boxing we have the same duration of time boxing like him. I know once Mark make condition and can adjust and adapt we will win, he (Hardy) looking for one big punch and he slow like hell, he beat a lot of old people and washout handpicked fighters,” said Oprecht.
‘Canchie’ noted that Austin is currently training twice daily and will be well prepared when he steps into the ring on March 30.
“Mark trains twice a day, in the mornings he would run eight miles every morning in the National Park, in the afternoons we do a lot of glove work, sparring, and pad work. We gonna warm-up and when we step into the ring we will start fighting and taking it to Hardy let us see what he will do, he has to get a game plan, we will plan according to the rounds, every round we will plan for, we are not going for a knockout but if it comes we are going for it but we are going for a fight if we see he can’t take the punishment we will go for the knockout.”
The 24-year-old undefeated ‘Candy Man’ has a record of seven wins, six of them via the KO route with his patented ‘chin checker’ punch but Oprecht is not impressed and questioned Hardy’s chin.
“He will throw those things (chin checker punches) at people who not prepared for it, but when his chin gets checked what is going to really happen? That is what we want to know. Like I said before we are not going for a knockout but if it comes we are going for it, Mark is always a confident fighter, Mark don’t fear nobody, Mark has fought the best, we don’t have a fear for no one,” ‘Canchie’ boasted.
Austin, 23, who has a record of seven wins, three losses and one draw has lately dubbed himself the ‘Iron Chin’ and promised to solve the ‘chin check’ mystery.
Will the ‘Candy Man’ suffer his first bitter defeat or will Austin fail the ‘chin check’ test? That question will be answered on March 30.
The professional segment of the card will also feature another WBC CABOFE champion, middleweight Edmond ‘Wonder Boy’ DeClou. DeClou will face Berbician pugilist Kelsie George.
The bout between DeClou, who is managed by Dog Pound Inc. and George, will be a six-round catchweight affair.
Also on the professional segment of the card will be a six-round rematch between featherweights Rudolph Fraser and Barbadian Gardel Roberts. Fraser won the first encounter last year February by a unanimous decision.
The professional segment of the card will be headlined by Mandessa Moses who is also managed by Dog Pound Inc. and Venezuelan Anys Cedillo. Moses’ and Cedillo’s bout is scheduled for eight rounds.
The amateur card will be headlined by welterweights Romeo Norville and Ron Smith while Norville’s sister Ansilla Norville will come up against Keisha Arokium in a junior flyweight contest.
Brothers Richard and Joel Williamson of the Pocket Rocket Boxing gym in Berbice are also on the card.
Richard will have a rematch with fellow Ronald Wilson Memorial Games silver medalist Dellon Charles in their bantamweight bout while Joel will match gloves with Shawn Michael in the 105 to 109–pound division.
Richard defeated Charles in their first encounter two to one.
The monthly card is an initiative of the GBBC in collaboration with the Sports Ministry and the National Communications Network (NCN).
Admission is $1,000 while children will be asked to pay half price. Bell time is 20:00 hrs.
