Winners and still champion!!!

Feb 18, 2014 Sports

Local boxers cart off honours as 4-nation, goodwill boxing tournament concludes

By Michael Benjamin
Local amateur boxers turned in special performances to outmuscle and outbox their Caribbean counterparts and at the end of three nights of fistic fury, regained the coveted tab of King of the Caribbean when the curtains came down on the Guyana Boxing Association/Guyana Olympics Association 4-nation, goodwill boxing tournament at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), Homestretch Avenue, Sunday evening last.

Thomas and London show off their accolades after a tough tournament.

Local middleweight champion, Dennis Thomas, earned a close split decision verdict over Jamaican Michael Gardner and carted off the spoils in that division. The lanky boxer, who had earlier earned a similar decision over St Lucian, Arthur Langelier, was subsequently awarded the prestigious best boxer award.
Local female light/heavyweight boxer, Theresa London, emulated Thomas’ feat and was awarded the best female boxer prize after a spirited display where she prevailed over Chimere Taylor of Trinidad and Tobago.
Bert Braithwaite had easily defeated Jean Paul Cooper (T&T) on the opening night but had to pull out all the stops to earn a close verdict over St Lucian Lyndin Marcelin to cart off the honours in the 64kgs category, while Eon Bancroft won the 69kgs title after defeating Jamaican, Kestna Davis; he had also defeated St Lucian, Ron Bastien on the first night of competition.
Thomas used his jabs to good effect in the first round with Gardner slipping in a few good punches even as he attempted to avoid Thomas’ occasional onslaught. The Guyanese picked up the pace in the second stanza with sharp combinations to his opponent’s body and head and then slammed in few uppercuts for good measure. It was after one such attack that the referee warned him for hitting below the belt.
While Gardner lacked Thomas’ class he certainly matched his determination. Despite the ferocity of his opponent’s attacks, Gardner stood his ground and even managed to get in a few blows of his own. In the end, Thomas’ superior ring craft and skills influenced the judges’ decision in his favour.
Braithwaite is more experienced than Marcelin but where he lacked in that department the St Lucian compensated with raw courage. Early in the first round, Braithwaite attempted to bully his man but the St Lucian would have none of it and matched his opponent’s aggression with several stiff offerings. The first round was indeed competitive and set the stage for the second which saw the Guyanese resorting to his experience to ease ahead.
Braithwaite was made to work for every point accrued as Marcelin rushed him on several occasions and distorted his rhythmic flow. In the end Thomas had to call on his experience to capture a close split decision.
Trinidadian, Taylor started at a fast pace and forced London to work overtime to stay in contention. The Guyanese has had quite a few fights under her belt and is among the best locally. She utilized that experience to weather the storm and eventually triumphed over Taylor, carting off the 75kgs (female) title as well as the best boxer award.
There were also four all-Guyanese encounters and Junior Henry prevailed over Michael April in the 52kgs affair, while Delon Charles proved to be too good for Stephan Nedd to take the honours in the 56kgs category. Imran Khan stamped his authority as the local bantamweight king with a classy display that earned him a convincing points decision over his nemesis, Claimonte Gibson.
Organizers also made provisions for Simon Pures and in the first bout in the pinweight category, Shaquancy Wright (EBG) prevailed over Jamie Kellman (Eagles).Shaquille Wright, also of the EBG, won from Roy Samuels (Eagles), while Joel Williamson (PRBG) was gifted a walkover after Orin Bancroft (Eagles) failed to turn up for their bout, also in the pinweight division. The final bout in this category between Travis Fraser (TEBG) and Geldroy Smith was in the 75kgs Elite category and ended in favour of the former boxer.