The world title boom …Have we lost the zeal to reward?

Jan 08, 2010 Sports

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By Michael Benjamin

Approximately three months ago, on September 27 last to be precise, local women’s bantamweight champion, Shondell ‘Mystery Lady’ Alfred, fought American/Guyanese Corinne van ryk DeGroot for the vacant Women’s World International Boxing Association (WIBA) bantamweight title.
After ten hectic rounds Alfred was declared winner of the coveted crown. Shortly afterwards, the DeGroot camp wrote to President of WIBA, Ryan Wissow complaining of several inconsistencies in the bout that caused her to lose. She then requested that the decision be overruled.
Mr. Wissow spent some time perusing the tape and then decided that it would be improper to overrule the judges’ decision. Instead, he ordered a rematch and cited a specific date.
The identified date for this rematch has since elapsed but the fight has not materialized. It seems as though local promoters are experiencing difficulties accruing the requisite funding to make the rematch a reality.
In the meantime Shondell is the holder of a prestigious title that is doing absolutely nothing for the forward movement of her career.
When Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis defeated American James Page and captured the World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight crown, every Guyanese felt proud of him. The members of the corporate community literally fell over in their bid to associate themselves with the champ. Enthusiastic businessmen heaped numerous rewards on Lewis.
He received cars from the importers and a furniture manufacturer furnished his home among other niceties. The Government, not to be left out, gifted Lewis with two duty free concessions, a double plot of land in the Eccles district coupled with five million dollars of taxpayers’ money to facilitate the construction of his dream home.
Trapped in the moment of ecstasy, His Excellency, President Jagdeo, declared a national holiday in honour of Lewis. Coupled with the gifts, government officials flocked to the Cheddie Jagan International Airport, Timerhi to welcome the champ and his entourage. Those that were in the midst of the celebrations can detail the jubilation demonstrated by all and sundry.
Shortly afterwards, Wayne Braithwaite replicated Lewis’ feat and though the celebrations were more restrained and the gifts less lavish, he received a plot of land and five million dollars to aid in the construction of his house.
Lewis’ victory opened the floodgates and as the old people say, ‘what don’t happen in a year does happen in a day.’
Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite steamrolled Vincenzo Cantatore in Italy to register the second world title for this nation. Vivian Harris threw his hat in the fray, defeating Diosbelys Hurtado to notch up Guyana’s third world title belt. Not to be outdone, Gwendolyn O’Neil beat up Kathy Rivers to win the Women’s World International Boxing Association (WIBA) light/heavyweight crown. All of these fighters were tangibly rewarded with plots of land and five million dollars to construct their homes.
The funds used to anoint the above world champions were garnered from the tax-payers coffers. So delighted were these taxpayers with the achievements that there was not even a murmur over the government’s generosity.
The boxers, apparently buoyed by the rewards to be had from their labour, dug in, and Pamela London traveled to Trinidad and Tobago to engage Kim Quashie for the NBA/WIBA heavyweight belt. She prevailed by way of knockout and naturally returned home in an expectant mood.
Instead of a house lot and the monetary reward, her gift was watered down to a mere house lot. Word was out that the government felt that it has doled out enough ‘house lots and five million dollars’ and were restricting their chivalry to only a plot of land. When Alfred won her title she discovered, much to her dismay that even the house lot was restricted and she received —–nothing.
Governments are elected to govern in the interest of every citizen. Almost at every forum government officials extol the virtues of sports activity. Recently, local newspapers have been inundated with the success stories of Usain Bolt and other Caribbean stalwarts.
The Jamaica government rewarded Bolt more than tangibly for his athletics feat that placed that country firmly on the world map.
Guyanese of all walks of life huddled around the television sets as Bolt simply destroyed world record after world record. With no local icon to boast of, Guyanese resorted to the ‘bandwagoneering’ fallacy. Instead of pride in local icons many were boasting of the ‘Caribbean Force.’
There is no denying the fact that we are a hypocritical nation. There is also no doubt that unless we change our hypocrisy we would have to be content with extrapolating from a Caricom perspective.
The point is that this stance can only hold water whenever we speak with nations that fall outside the Caricom framework. What happens when we are examining the issue from an internal perspective?
There is a school of thought that Alfred’s victory is not as momentous as those of her preceding colleagues since the thrill has already died away.
Balderdash, I say. An achievement is an achievement. This country belongs to all of us regardless of color, creed, political affiliation or ethnicity.
The fact that Alfred has lifted Guyana on a pedestal and the fact that she is an ambassador is enough to prompt the powers that be to treat her with love and respect. I am surprised that the executives of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) have failed to offer any type of representation at the level of the government to procure for Shondell what her colleagues have been gifted for achievements of the same scale. Maybe, just maybe, this article can be the start of decisive action that would convince the powers that be that Alfred’s achievement is just as momentous as her preceding colleagues’ and should be similarly rewarded.

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