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The Alfred/DeGroot Rematch – battling the psychological warfare
By Michael Benjamin
The highly anticipated world bantamweight title fight between Shondell Alfred and Corrine van Ryck DeGroot has undergone a third postponement as the promoters admitted to have encountered some problems.
The bout is now scheduled to take place on a new date and it seems as though the venue will also be changed.
Shondel Alfred (left) and Corrine Van Ryck DeGroot
There has also been some talk earlier of a merger between BrisO Promotions and the McNeal Enterprises to incorporate the Denny Dalton/Hector ‘Machito’ Comacho bout into one night of fistic action.
Whether those negotiations have borne fruit is anybody’s guess. What is apparent is the fact that after three postponements, Alfred would have to reorganize her thoughts as well as her preparations if she is to regain her title.
Many people do not attribute skill and finesse to the fistic sport. In fact, a great majority regards boxing as a rough and tumble affair that requires minimal cranium work.
This thought process has obviously been extrapolated into the promotional arena and the second fight that should have been staged about three months after the first is now eight months in arrears and even so, remains in some doubt.
Odinga Lumumba, always one to experiment with new ideas, decided to stage the bout in an affluent atmosphere, initially choosing the Princess Hotel Poolside. It seems as though the promoters, for a plethora of reasons, were unable to finalize arrangement and now the bout has been pushed back to June 5. The initial venue is also in doubt.
Boxing is a mind game and it takes quite a bit for a fighter to reorganize his/her psyche after a postponement. Postponements also affect a fighter’s training schedule.
Some coaches gauge their schedule so that a fighter peaks at just the right time. During the initial stages of the bout (before the postponements), Alfred’s coach, Sebert Blake had detailed his training itinerary. He had said then that his timings were pinpoint and was meant to bring his charge to her peak at precisely the right moment. The two postponements have changed the equation considerably.
In this era of immaculate sports achievement, when athletes, boxers and basketball players, et al, are pushing their bodies to the hilt and achieving astounding results, there is no room for excuses. No one wants to hear explanations from losers, so it behooves that person to come up with the goods and spare the listeners the excuses.
The old adage ‘if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail’ is applicable not only to the athlete that stays away from training activities but also those that encounter psychological setbacks that they fail to effectively deal with.
My memory flashes to the night in August 1988 when I was scheduled to fight Ernesto España for the Continental of Americas Lightweight title at the national Park.
Merely hours before the first bell, the entire Georgetown area was thrown into darkness compliments of a Guyana Electricity Corporation blackout.
The power did not return until the following morning forcing a one-night postponement to the bout. I will not recite the mental fatigue nor the anxious moments I experienced. Suffice to say, I did win the bout but was dissatisfied with my performance. One night changed all that.
There is no doubt that Lumumba means well despite the postponements. Several months after becoming a world champion, Alfred is still to earn a cent for her accomplishments.
Obviously, she would want to whip herself into the best shape for her first defence but even before she does that, she would have to refashion her mental approach to the fight. Retaining her title is going to take much more than defeating DeGroot; she will be required to battle the many vicissitudes that have kept her on the sidelines for far too many months.
On September 26, 2009 at Cliff Anderson Sports Hall in Georgetown, Guyana, Alfred (114¾ lbs) handed DeGroot (117½ lbs) her first pro boxing loss via a 10-round unanimous decision (99-90, 97-90, 96-92) for the vacant WIBA Bantamweight title. Alfred knocked DeGroot down at 1:13 of the second round but later went to the canvas four times which were ruled as slips by the referee.
DeGroot’s team protested the decision and WIBA President Ryan Wissow had mandated a rematch. Officials of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control then arranged a purse bid, won by Lumumba.
Since then several unforeseen issues have caused the fight to be postponed. Hopefully June 5 will not be changed to August 4 and September 6.
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