‘Heartrending’ development as Dorway/Austin middleweight title fight aborted

Jan 27, 2013 Sports

Williamson (right) holds a high guard to ward off Rogers’ two fisted attack

By Michael Benjamin

The executive of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) had, less than two weeks ago, released its ratings of local boxers and had intimated a desire to fill the void in all of the divisions in an effort to prepare local pugilists for the international transition.
In keeping with this projection, Gladwin Dorway and Mark Austin were scheduled to face off for the national Jnr/middleweight title in the January edition of the Guyana Fight Night boxing card at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), Friday evening last.
Things went awry when less than one hour before the boxers were scheduled to square off, medical practitioners directed that the bout be cancelled after one of the principals, Gladwin Dorway, was ruled medically unfit to fight after he was found to be constricted with a heart deficiency that placed his life at great risks.
President of the GBBC, Peter Abdool was somewhat dismayed by the turn of events and has issued a directive to his officials to have the issue ventilated for possible remedy and to minimize a future recurrence.
He disclosed that, as is customary, Dorway had been subjected to medical checks earlier in the week and the doctors discovered that his heart rate, which should have been 55- 60 beats per minute, was a fraction off, at 43 beats per minute.

Rogers (left) backs his former charge in one of the neutral corners but was unable to neutralize him.

He said that the doctor withheld approval for the fight and advised that Dorway submit to a similar check at the fight venue. When the situation failed to undergo the requisite change, the doctors advised GBBC officials to cancel the match.
The GBBC President further informed that following Dorway’s prognosis, boxing officials conducted background checks and discovered that the boxer’s condition appears to be hereditary as several other family members were stricken by similar problems.
He said that he will seek medical advice to ascertain whether his organization could help in corrective procedures.
One boxing official jocularly summed up the situation, “The bout had all the trimmings of a classic but Dorway’s heart was just not in it.”
Subsequently, the card was reduced to a three bouts affair with the Orland Rogers/Richard Williamson bantamweight 6 rounder elevated to main bout status.
The fight hardly fitted the bill with the latter pugilist pounding out a lopsided unanimous verdict over the former. Williamson’s professional career is merely three fights old while Rogers, a veteran of the sport has been involved in combat for a number of years, albeit with dismal results.
He had trained Williamson during his amateur tenure and at the pre-fight press conference had promised to teach his student a thing or two in the fistic sport.
Well, depending on how one is willing to examine such boasts, Rogers might have accomplished his mission; he might have taught Williamson the improvised art of blocking punches – with his face.
The judges agreed in unison that Rogers had no right being in the same ring with Williamson by dint of their scores. Trevor Arno scored it 60-54, while Clairmont DeSouza and Bernard DeSantos saw it 59-55 and 59-56 respectively for Williamson.
Dilan Allicock and Charlton Skeete had much to say to each other during pre-fight promotional activities with each promising the vilest treatment to the other.
It turned out that Skeete failed to back his chat, while Allicock conformed to his predictions. Both fighters went after each other in the first stanza but it was Allicock who commanded respect early in the round.
He delivered several telling body shots that had Skeete backpedaling but not for long as Skeete, the self proclaimed ‘Fighting Raja,’ quickly asserted himself and matched his opponent’s volleys. Sensing something special, the small crowd settled to enjoy the action as the second bell sounded.
Barely one minute into this stanza had expired when they were rewarded. Allicock, fighting out of a southpaw stance, rushed out and dealt the fleet footed Skeete several salvoes and though he was hurt, he refused to quit.
Shortly afterwards a wicked combination sent him toppling to the canvass.
Skeete rose and managed to beat the count yet the referee inexplicably waved off the proceedings.
Several members of the audience raised their voices in indignation forcing the ‘third man’ to revert his decision and the boxers were allowed to continue.
In the end it really didn’t matter as, upon resumption, Allicock turned up the heat and sent Skeete drifting with several three punch combinations.
An especially vicious right hook decked Skeete where he stayed for the full count at 2:05secs into the 2nd round.
Anson Green and Derick Richmond engaged in a delightful catchweight match with both giving as many punches as he received.
Richmond drew first blood when he decked Green early in the first frame but the latter boxer bided his time and eventually returned the favour late into the 4th round after landing a wicked right hand.
In between, the two boxers were extremely circumspect as each unleashed vicious, punches to each other’s body and head. The fight seemed to be headed to a close finish when Green came up with a killer blow that landed on his opponent’s temple and he crashed to the canvass.
Richmond’s fate was sealed long before the referee started counting and the act merely served as one in futility; Richmond refused to, or more appropriately, was unable to respond and only rose to a sitting position after the medical team had attended to him. The time of the stoppage was 2:45secs of the 4th round.
Fans trooped to the venue to witness 26 rounds of fistic fury but had to contend with only 12 rounds that lacked the promised fireworks.
Indeed, it was a heartrending experience.