‘Big Truck,’ Corbin bout pushed back

By Emmerson Campell

The five-fight all-pro card dubbed ‘Redemption’ which was scheduled to box off on September 8 at the Banks DIH Thirst Park Ground has been rescheduled to October 27 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH).

According to Peter Abdool, President of the Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) and the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC), the change was due to the unavailability of suitable indoor venues and concerns over  the outdoor sites.

Abdool noted that the CASH, which is the home of the monthly Pro-Am initiative, was currently occupied and the Indian Science Fair, which is being held there runs until September 30 while the Thirst Park Ground has inadequate shelter for patrons in the event of rainfall.

The card will be headlined by former World Boxing Council (WBC) cruiserweight champion Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite and Trinidad and Tobago-based Guyanese Sean Corbin.

‘Big Truck’ and Corbin will match gloves for the vacant WBC CABOFE cruiserweight title.

The US-based Braithwaite will have a chance to redeem himself following a humiliating first round knockout at the hands of Barbadian Shawn ‘The Sniper’ Cox six months ago.

The card will also feature World Boxing Council (WBC) CABOFE champions, middleweight Edmond’ Wonder Boy’ DeClou and welterweight knockout specialist Simeon ‘Candy Man’ Hardy along with local featherweight champion Clive ‘Wonder Kid’ Atwell and bantamweight boxer Richard Williamson.

DeClou will once again face former European and local middleweight champion Howard ‘Battersea Bomber’ Eastman, whom he defeated last year for the local title in a 10-round affair.

The Dominica-based ‘Wonder Kid’ Atwell, coming off sensational knockout victories over Rudolph Fraser and Revlon Lake, will take on Mark Austin who held him to a draw in their first encounter in 2010.

The Atwell/Austin junior welterweight matchup is scheduled for eight rounds.

Hardy, who knocked out national welterweight champion Iwan ‘Pure Gold’ Azore in February this year to lift the vacant CABOFE title, will have an eight-round rematch with Azore while Williamson, who won his debut bout last month against Dilan Allicock, is scheduled to face debutant Esan Rose in a four-round contest.

Corbin, 37, a former WBC CABOFE light heavyweight champion who has a record of 14 wins (10 by KO) and three losses, will be stepping up in weight to face the ‘Big Truck’ who is a world renowned knockout specialist.

Twenty of Braithwaite’s 24 wins have ended prematurely and the Plaisance native who turned 37 earlier this month will be looking to make a statement in perhaps his last chance at redemption on home soil.

Braithwaite, Eastman and Azore will all have a shot at redemption.