Boxing – The pathetic state of affairs

Dec 20, 2009 Sports

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By Michael Benjamin
Boxing, the noble sport that has brought Guyana untold glory, is now tottering on the ropes, already the victim of several mandatory eight counts. One more trip to the canvas and the referee, in keeping with the rules, would have no other option but to wave the proceedings off.
Indeed, the rich legacy left by such pugilists like Patrick Ford, Lennox Blackmoore, Kenny Bristol and Cleveland Denny among others is now relegated to the history books that present day fighters seem either reluctant or unwilling to peruse. Those were the good old days.
Have you ever noticed how these terrible days quickly become the good old days? Well, around the late seventies and early eighties when local pugilists toiled away in pursuance of that elusive world title, boxing pundits lamented over the fallen standards then.
Those in the know compared the above named fighters with the likes of Caesar Barrow, Cliff Anderson, Wilf Boodhoo and other pugilists of their era and found the former group deficient.
The prolific days of the Fordes, Blackmoores et al are now history and the pundits are at it again. They are ridiculing the current crop while placing those of the seventies and eighties on a pedestal.
Ironically, despite the paucity of good talented fighters, local pugilists have eventually managed to break the world title jinx.
Obviously, winning a world title these days is ridiculously simple. When Blackmoore fought Aaron Pryor, the latter boxer was the World Boxing Association (WBA) champion while Eusebio Pedroza held the World Boxing Council version while the International Boxing Federation (IBF) was still to be born. Blackmoore’s loss signaled the end of his ambitions while Forde’s case, after losing a close points decision to Pryor attempted to regain some ground in the Pedroza fight.
He was knocked out and his career plummeted thereafter.
No one is debating the authenticity of Andrew Lewis’ victory over James Page in mid February 2001 that suddenly opened the floodgates. Suddenly, it was world title season as first Wayne Braithwaite defeated Vincenzo Cantatore to lift the World Boxing Council (WBC) light/heavyweight belt.
Soon afterwards it was Vivian Harris who knocked out Diosbelys Hurtado to join the merry bunch. Gwendolyn ‘Stealth Bomber’ O’Neil’s victory over Kathy Rivers was also a victory for all Guyanese women shortly before Gary StClair claimed another world title. ‘The Superman’ had enjoyed a career boasting a world title belt and multiple title challenges with various luminaries such as Cassius Baloyi and Malcolm Klassen. StClair is now retired from the sport and reports are that he has commenced a career as a trainer in his adopted homeland, Australia.
These achievements appear glossy on Guyana’s resume but the logical question is, ‘Have these victories improved the lot of Guyanese pugilists? And, what were the effects on the local boxing front?
Almost every time the question of quality at the professional level pops up, I am forced to reminisce on the good old days. Odinga Lumumba was my manager when I had the two epic encounters with Barrington Cambridge.
On the night of the first fight, he picked me up from the place where I had camped out for the past 6 weeks while preparing for the fight, and transported me to the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH).
Upon approaching the CASH we were greeted with a long line of vehicles parked on the northern and southern side of Homestretch Avenue from as far as the Revolution Square right down to Mandela Avenue. As we arrived at the venue, Lumumba said to me, “You are responsible for all of this confusion.”
‘All of this confusion’ was a boisterous crowd pushing and shoving to gain entry and secure a seat before they were all gobbled up.
I hardly had time to revel in ecstasy. I had an engagement and was most concerned with the job at hand.
During my infancy years, I still reminisce on the fights that kept me on the edge of my seat or in some cases, on my feet screaming and gesticulating. Who could forget the Blackmoore/Nani Marrero clash or the Patrick Forde/Cecil Fernandes bout where the latter fighter was knocked out and eventually died while being ‘medivaced’ to Miami for medical attention.
Who could forget such fights like Kenny Bristol/Eddie Marcelle, Mark Harris/Luis Resto and the numerous others that have left a rich legacy in the fistic arena? Today, unfortunately, these fights are relegated to nostalgic memories.
Over the past five years, local promoters have been recycling one batch of fighters while hoping that a young star would arise to fill the slot for main bouts.
After his historic world tile victory over James Page, Andrew Lewis has had a topsy-turvy ride and spent more time in the valley than at the apex of those curves. His fall from grace after the Mayorga fight was further worsened by his questionable performances against Denny Dalton and Howard Eastman.
Among the newcomers to the scene, Dexter Marques has shown some promise of being a crowd pleaser.
He comes from a family of boxers that include Vincent, Richard and Peter Howard. Obviously, a fighter of immense talent, the youngster became over ambitious and called out Leon ‘Hurry Up’ Moore to a war. He died at the first bullet from Moore’s gun.
Fortunately for him, he managed to rekindle some hope in his career after defeating Paul Lewis (Snr) in his first fight after the loss. Marques is a boxer for the future but his management team should aspire to nurture him along the way.
Moore, on the other hand, is on the right track in terms of his career but he has already started to hunt outwards since the local arena can offer him nothing.
Gwendolyn ‘Stealth Bomber’ O’Neil is now residing in the USA but is scheduled to return for a bout against Lindener Sharon Warde on a Holland Enterprise Promotions effort, scheduled for December 26.  While O’Neil may be able to provide some entertainment on the local front she definitely would have lost all hopes of regaining international glory. That is unless Laila Ali decides to vacate the scene soon.
Shondell Alfred has recently won the bantamweight version of the Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA) crown and would need expert guidance to pilot her career in the right direction if she is to etch her name in the local annuls of history.
After the Kenny Bristol’s, Mark Harris’s and Patrick Forde’s had left the scene they were replaced by the Anthony Andrews, Darius Forde’s, and the Barrington Cambridge’s.
When the latter group became battle worn and vacated the scene there was the Andrew Lewis’s, Howard Eastman’s and the Howard’s clan.
Now that those fighters are unable to continue beating the bag with gusto, they are ready to pass on the baton.
Unfortunately, no one is there to collect and continue the journey.
It is a pathetic state of affairs. At the moment the referee is tolling away the mandatory eight count—one, two three——. Hopefully, boxing manages to beat the count this time around and it is not the death knell.

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