The ProAm boxing card is becoming a Guyanese way of life

Jul 21, 2010 Sports

As the boxers that will feature in the sixth edition of the ProAm boxing card scheduled for July 30 next prepare for another night of fistic fury, the organizers are urging the public to continue supporting the initiative which has begun to show vast improvement. The programme has recently begun to pick up and several of the boxers that have featured so far have admitted that their careers, in terms of activity, have really received a much needed shot in the arm.

The programme is the brainchild of President of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC), Peter Abdool and is staged under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport, in collaboration with the National Communications Network (NCN).

A random and unscientific survey conducted by this writer has shown that the television audience has improved greatly and more people are aware of the card. Some of the subjects explained that they view the fights from their places of work since they are unable to attend the live show. These are nocturnal workers that otherwise would not have been able to view the bouts. Most of the persons surveyed admitted that there is a wealth of talent within the boxing fraternity that, if carefully honed, would reap the desired reward of procuring boxers of world class standard a few years onward.

Former Secretary of the GBBC, Trevor Arno feels that the initiative has had a great impact on local boxing fans. He is also optimistic that the programme would develop into immense proportions in a very short time.

One of the advantages of the card is that it allows local pugilists to increase the number of fights they would have fought while earning a reasonable purse. A boxer can be involved in all of the promotions for the year and take home a handsome purse of some six hundred thousand dollars at the end of the year. Coupled with that, the fighter would have added twelve bouts to his record which can be a good thing when he/she seeks to venture into the international arena.

This all sounds good but the possibility of success hinges strongly on the involvement of corporate Guyana. At the moment officials of the GBBC are operating at a loss yet they continue to plug away in the hope that the situation would change. This is a timely call for the business community to recognize the benefits that may be derived from their involvement and throw their weight behind the initiative.

The card this month end has been carefully planned; the boxers shrewdly matched. There has been quite a few action packed encounters in earlier cards that have vindicated the planners who were initially accused of implementing a harebrained scheme that was bound to flop. The fact that this is the sixth edition is indicative of the determination of GBBC executives to make it work.

Four more action packed encounters are scheduled for this month end. In the first fight, Mark Austin who commenced his professional debut with a points decision win over the more experienced Cecil Smith will face another experienced fighter in Shawn Pyle in a junior/welterweight showdown. While Austin has proven himself in his debut bout, he may find Pyle quite a handful. The latter fighter has had a successful run so far in the ProAm cards, notching up victories over Paul Lewis (Jr), who he disposed of within one round and Clifton Barker, who he out-muscled to win on points. The odds would clearly be in Pyle’s favour but boxing is a mercurial sport where nothing is absolute. Edmond DeCleau whose epic encounters against Kwesi ‘Assassin’ Jones has made him a favourite with boxing buffs will match gloves with Troy Lewis. The latter fighter has just finished serving out a ban instituted by executives of the GBBC for his infamous ‘brawl after the bell’ encounter against Iwan Azore. He will have to be wary of DeCleau, whose awesome punching power and staunch determination has seen him through three brawls against Jones. He came out victorious in one of them. Lewis is a strong fighter and would be out to prove that his first round knockout over Rudolph Fraser in an earlier edition of the ProAm cards was no fluke.

Debbie Tyson has had a lengthy hiatus from the sport after notching up a win from two fights. However, she has been in the gym honing her skill and believes that the time has now arrived for a grand re-entry into the ‘square jungle.’ Her opponent is Pauline London who has recently dished out a first class licking on Shelly ‘The Boom’ Gibson. London then dropped a points decision to Sharon Ward and has been longing for an opportunity to redeem herself. How well she will handle the Tyson fight is anybody’s guess.

Anthony Augustin needs no introduction to the boxing public. He drew his first bout against Clyde Williams before losing out to Mitchell Rogers in his second. Undaunted, he returned to capture a lopsided points decision over Leon ‘The Lion’ Gilkes. He is now ready to throw down the gauntlet this time against Kurt Best, the son of former heavyweight pugilist Al Thomas, who is a mean fighter and also packs a punch. His only claim to fame is the heavyweight contest against Trinidadian heavyweight, Kirston Manswell when the two met on the under card of the Pamela London/Margaret Salazar world title bout at the Splashmins Resort. He lost that bout but not before turning in a spirited performance that set the venue alight. This will be a fight between two strong punchers and it would be a surprise if the fight lasts the full distance.

With just two more weeks before the first bell, the principals are working assiduously to whip their bodies into an acceptable shape. The fans obviously would benefit from the outcome of such applications.

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The ProAm boxing card is becoming a Guyanese way of life

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