By Iva Wharton
Young boxer Richard Williamson has replaced Elton ‘Coolie Bully’ Dharry on the Redemption Card scheduled for Saturday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
Williamson will face Rudolph Hedge of Jamaica.
Dharry’s mother told Stabroek Sport on Monday that her son would longer be travelling to Guyana to participate on the card. No reason was given.
However, President of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control, Peter Abdool, told this newspaper yesterday that Dharry is recovering from a bout of influenza. According to Abdool, Dharry said he was not well for most of the week.
Dharry’s replacement Williamson, is a young boxer who has made the transition from amateur to professional three months ago and currently has two fights to his name.
His first fight and first win as a professional was against Delon Allicock while his second fight saw him being disqualified for hitting his opponent Charlton Skeete who at the time was on the canvas.
That fight was two weeks ago.
Hedge, Abdool said, has agreed to the fight which will no longer be a title fight and will go for six rounds instead of 12.
This is not the first occasion that Dharry would have pulled out of a boxing match organised by the boxing board. A boxing official who requested to remain anonymous said Dharry earlier this year pulled out of the match against Rudolph Fraser. Dharry at the last minute informed officials he was no longer fighting Fraser, leaving officials to find a replacement for him. His replacement then was Clive Atwell who is also fighting on the Redemption Card on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Trinidadian based Shawn Corbin who arrived yesterday for his matchup against former WBC title holder Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite said he is fully prepared for the fight.
“This is a stepping stone for me to be in the rankings once again and I would like to get the opportunity to show my people that I have what it takes to be a World champion and I will put my best foot forward.”
Corbin, like Braithwaite, said he will not be making any predictions on the outcome of the fight, but would only say may the best man win.
According to Corbin, he is familiar with Braithwaite as the two were once sparring partners when Braithwaite was fighting in Trinidad earlier in his career.
“Now that we are coming to do battle, it is going to be fun after so many years of sparring with him,” he said.
Corbin who was at the Forgotten Youth Foundation Gym, in Albouystown, said while in Trinidad he was always in training despite not having any fights. But with two days to fight night he will be doing some pad work which would compete his training.
