By Emmerson Campbell
“After seven or eight fights I’m looking to take on Elton Dharry for the bantamweight title,” a confident 19-year-old Richard Williamson declared during a recent interview with Stabroek Sport.
The Pocket Rocket Boxing gym product is scheduled to make his professional debut against another debutant Dilan Allicock on the 25th edition of the Guyana Fight Night Pro Am card at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on July 27 but Williamson is looking past that four- round encounter to Dharry.
When asked why he wants to match gloves with Dharry, the Berbician replied: “Dharry has the title and I want it, that is what I have in mind right now after seven or eight fights I want Dharry.”
The ever confident Williamson boasted that he will easily defeat Allicock and even mentioned a list of fighters that he wanted to take on in order to build his record before he takes on Dharry.
Said Williamson: ”I’m very confident about beating Dilan because the last person that beat him I stopped the other guy. I train twice a day, in the morning I do between four to six miles and then I come in the gym and do some work on the bag, the pads and so on.”
He continued: “I gave them (the Guyana Boxing Board of Control) a list of boxers I want to fight before Dharry. I gave them Esan Rose, Shaeed Ali, Prince Slowe and Charlton Skeete, but whoever else wants to fight I am always ready.”
Williamson who won a silver medal at the Ronald Wilson Memorial Tournament in Barbados last year also intimated why he decided to turn pro.
“The Olympic trials that they did not send me on was the biggest reason why I turned pro because that was my dream, I wanted to go to the Olympics but I did not get a chance because I was not sent to the trials so I think it is time for me to step up now to the pros.”
Who will register their first professional victory, Williamson or Allicock? The answer will be known on July 27.
Meanwhile the card will be headlined by national featherweight champion Dominica-based Guyanese Clive Wonder’ Kid’ Atwell and national lightweight champion Barbados-based Revlon Lake.
Atwell and Lake will be matching gloves in a junior lightweight (130 pounds) eight-round affair. The undercard will feature another Pocket Rocket Boxing gym product, Kishawn Simon who will also be making his professional debut.
Simon will face Patrick Boston in a four-round catch weight contest.
Gladwin Dorway who won his debut bout last month by stopping David Thomas in the second round will also feature on the undercard. Dorway will face Anson Green who also won his debut fight against Thomas in a four- round junior welterweight affair.
Middleweights Ron Smith and Romeo Norville will headline the amateur segment of the card.
The amateur under card will feature Christopher Timmerman versus Kevon Mullings (70-74 pounds), Albert Thomas versus Orin Bancroft (90-94 pounds) and Shaka Moore versus Ryan Sumner (95-99 pounds).
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 McAL.
Admission is $1,000 while children will be asked to pay half price. Bell time is 20:00 hrs.
