A low down rotten shame!!!

Dec 30, 2008 Sports

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By Michael Benjamin
Boxing Day slipped by very quietly and hardly anyone missed the traditional boxing card usually staged on this day. Some of the more ardent fans did call my home to lament what they called a travesty. Others were actually livid at the turn of events and wondered who ought to be blamed for this travesty.
For the ardent boxing buff, no amount of excuses can assuage the pain and disappointment experienced by such an eventuality. It is simply unacceptable. Ever since the days of Patrick Forde and Lennox Blackmore, boxing buffs have trudged to the National Park, The National Sports Hall, The Georgetown Cricket Club Ground or any other venue that hosted Boxing Day matches, just to be a part of, what they perceived to be a cultural pastime.
Some of the great fights of that era remain indelibly etched in our minds. Who could forget the Blackmore/Diego Alcala slugfest or the Forde/Desmond ‘The Destroyer’ Thompson war? Oh! and least we forget, what about the Mark Harris/Eddie Marcelle or Luis Resto scorcher? Then there are other great warriors like Michael Reid, Kenny Bristol, Brian Muller, Ivor ‘Baba’ Simmonds, among others.

These pugilists have contributed to the rich legacy that contemporary boxers are now enjoying. Yet, the paucity of credible boxing matches seems to suggest that there is not even an iota of appreciation for the foundation laid by these former boxing stalwarts. Would you believe that for the year there have only been two measly boxing cards? The first card was promoted by McNeal Promotions, while the Guyana Boxing Board of Control staged the second.
During the heydays of the stalwarts mentioned above, winning a world title seemed on par with walking on water. Our best bet at such an achievement rested on the broad shoulders of Forde and Blackmore. When Salvadore ‘Baby Face Assassin’ Sanchez eked out a points decision over Forde in 80/09/13 in San Antonio Texas, and Aaron Pryor blasted Blackmore into oblivion shortly afterwards, it appeared as though Guyana’s hopes of attaining this prestigious goal had diminished.
Forde’s second attempt against Eusibio Pedroza ended in with dismal failure after the Guyanese suffered a knock out defeat.

Just when the situation seemed bleak, Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis out-slugged James Page and dethroned him from the World Boxing Council welterweight perch. At last, Guyana had broken the jinx.
There was much merriment as government officials, sports executives and almost every Guyanese jostled to touch the proverbial ‘hem of Lewis’ garments.’ The new champion was treated to ‘lamb, ham and jam,’ as the saying goes. The general view was that local boxing has received the impetus to launch off into the international arena. Today, those huge projections have fizzed out like a damp squib.
It seemed as though Lewis had set the stage for other local pugilists to emulate. It looked like world title season when Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite beat up Vincenzo Cantatore and won the World Boxing Council Light/heavyweight belt. Shortly afterwards Vivian Harris knocked out Diosbely’s Hurtado to take the super/lightweight crown. Gwendolyn O’Neil next pounded out a decision victory over Kathy Rivers.
Admittedly, the Guyana government rewarded each of these fighters with a plot of land and an additional five million dollars to facilitate the construction of their houses. The new champions were also gifted with duty free concessions to purchase motor vehicles. The government went a little further and built the Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis gym in Albouystown.
While the nation will appreciate these gestures it seems painfully obvious that Government officials view their input as a lasting contribution. There has been no effort to build on these projects whether through community activities or otherwise. So while the gestures may appear to be tangible, one needs to examine their viability to the development of the sport.

Whenever the issue of government’s involvement in professional boxing crops up, the argument that boxing is a professional sport where the participants fight for money, seems to be used as the overriding factor for official (non) involvement. The argument seems to suggest that the government’s primary responsibility is to the amateurs since the professionals are paid handsomely for their efforts. Well if this is the rationale, would someone please explain the abject drought in the amateur department? Can the naysayer please indicate (for the sake of dumb old me) where is the support rendered by government to amateur boxing. I hope you are not speaking of the occasional waiver on airport taxes offered to a few teams that fought in Trinidad recently!
And talking about Trinidad. This small twin-island nation has recently given us much reason to down our heads in shame. The Minister of Youth and Sport, Gary Hunt, recently announced that following a recommendation of the Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Board of Control, his Ministry has agreed to support the world championship boxing card held in that country involving Trinidadian Giselle Salandy. The Ministry has contributed about TT$500,000.
I was struck by the reason extended by the Trinidad Government official for such a kind gesture. He said, “Salandy is a boxing champion who is recognized the world over which can compliment government’s efforts to market local tourism.”
The Trinidadian Minister further pointed out that the Trinidadian Government is a bona fide signatory to the 1994 Brighton Declaration of Women in Sport and was therefore, obligated to render support.
Minister Hunt went on to explain that the industry of professional boxing requires assistance and that Trinidad was the only other country, barring Thailand whose government funded professional boxing.
Oh, how local promoters yearn for government officials with such insight! These promoters are complaining about the absence of corporate assistance. I personally know that Keith Bazilio, Odinga Lumumba, Herman Harris and a host of other promoters have lost millions of dollars in their attempt at trying to promote local fighters.
I know for sure that Bazilio had sacrificed millions of dollars towards the development of boxing. Sometimes I am tempted to advise him to reclaim his property in the Albouystown area that he has transformed into a boxing gym and use it instead to earn some dollars through its rental.
I know that I am just kidding myself. The Keith Bazilio I know would never think of doing that. He loves boxing too much.
Regardless of the love for the sport shared by these promoters, one thing is apparent, they have all utilized their resources and are totally incapable of investing more into a fruitless cause.
When our local fighters returned home with world title belts strapped around their waists, government officials crowded to steal chunks of the glory.
We are now back to square one. There are no world champions nor is there money in the kitty.
Just as the world titles have disappeared, so too have the government officials.
Maybe, they are waiting on the periphery for another fighter to, by some freak of luck, win a world title.
Then the rush for publicity will commence. You will then hear the ‘if it was not for me’ monologue.
For now, none of our boxers, for obvious reasons, has been able to carry on the world title trend so boxing continues to take blows.
There has been no card on Boxing Day and heaven knows when a promoter will be brave (or stupid enough) to risk another promotion.
It simply means that local boxers will have to change their professions or think strongly of becoming a protégé of ‘Fine Man.’ I shudder to think of the results of such a decision. It is just a low down rotten shame.

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