St Lucia Tri Nation Goodwill Boxing Extravaganza…

Apr 02, 2014 Sports

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Guyanese boxers return with two gold medals and one silver

By Michael Benjamin
The three local amateur boxers that represented Guyana at the Tri Nation Goodwill Boxing Extravaganza in St Lucia returned to Guyana with 2 gold medals and 1 silver after performing creditably at those championships held March 27-29 last.

Were it not for the fact that boxers are given special reprieve to ‘assault’ their opponents devoid of legal proceedings, two of those pugilists, Ron Smith and Delon Charles would have been placed before a St Lucia court and pronounced guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm to their respective opponents and sentenced to lengthy terms in jail after pleading ‘guilty as charged’ while Bert Braithwaite and his St Lucian nemesis, Lynden ‘Russian’ Marcellin, would have been arraigned and prosecuted on several counts of a similar charge.
Subsequently,  Marcellin was adjudged the unanimous winner and best boxer of the tournament while his country won the championships after amassing 17 points with 3 gold medals, 2 silvers and 4 bronze.
Guyana finished in the 2nd place with 8 points after clinching 2 gold medals and one silver while Martinique finished in the cellar with 6 points after winning 2 silvers and a similar number of bronze medals.
These principals were engaged in brutal warfare when the curtains were drawn on the 3 nights, Tri Nation Goodwill boxing extravaganza at the Vigie Multi-purpose Complex, St Lucia, Friday evening last and the situation was further amplified when it was noted that even an officer of the St Lucia Police Force, Constable Yatil Roberts, was among those ‘sharing blows.’
Charles and Smith emerged champions of their respective divisions after brutal displays that resulted in knockout victories while Marcellin and Braithwaite closed off their trilogy with a similar performance that left fans agape at such resilience.
Roberts ‘assaulted’ Gregory Heloise (Martinique) on the inaugural night and forced the referee to call a halt to their 81kgs (Novice) bout in 1:25secs of round three and as though that was not enough, returned on Sunday, March 31 to repeat the offence, this time by a majority verdict.
Charles took all of 2:34secs of the third round to dispose of Gervais Capron of Martinique after a clinical display in his 56kgs elite bout while Smith closed off St Lucian, Nyran David in 2:13secs of the first stanza of their 69kgs elite affair. Bert Braithwaite and his St Lucian nemesis, Lynden ‘Russian’ Marcellin resumed their rivalry and though Marcellin won that bout and registered clean sweep (3-0), both pugilists finished the trilogy worst for wear after the final three rounds of unadulterated brutality.
The final night card had the frills of several all local matchups but the real action commenced when Charles faced off with Capron in the first international engagement. The two were locked in delightful exchanges in the early stages of the first stanza but it was the Guyanese that stamped his authority after delivering sustained combinations to his opponent’s body and head in the latter part of that round.
Charles continued where he had left off in the first round and advanced to his man at the start of the second stanza but was met by an aggressive Capron who matched his blows pound for pound and set the scene for an interesting final round.
The chimes of the bell for the third round were still resonating when Charles rushed out and dealt Capron several clouts that sent him reeling. The ‘third man’ instituted the mandatory eight count before ordering the duo to resume combat. Charles attacked venomously and soon had his man on the canvass compliments of a well-timed one two combination.

Capron rose and bravely re-entered the fray but a no nonsense Charles attacked and for the second time in that round, dumped him on port canvass with a wicked volley. Capron rose on wobbly legs and the referee decided that he was too hurt to continue and waved off the bout.
Smith commenced his journey with several crisp jabs that pushed his man on the back foot and followed through with a wicked straight right that dumped him to the canvass. Capron refused to say die, rose and bravely re-entered the fray.
It proved to be an act of folly as Smith waded into him with a vicious right cross and he crashed to the canvass. The Martinique boxer’s mind appeared to still be in the fight as he struggled to an upright position but his legs refused to cooperate and the referee decided that he had seen enough and waved the proceedings off.
Braithwaite and Marcellin had had earlier battles; the St Lucian prevailed in the first of the Olympics box off in Brazil while Braithwaite evened the score in the Tri-Nation Goodwill series in Guyana in February.  The trilogy in the St Lucia ended in favour of Marcellin 3-0 but the gap of defeat failed to tell a true tale of what transpired.
Indeed, while the verdicts are ‘done and dusted,’ only those at the venue could have assessed the worth of both stalwarts and eventually agree that both performed way above par. In all fairness to Braithwaite, he was required to battle against Marcellin, a hostile crowd and at times, the referee, who delivered some questionable verdicts.
Braithwaite took them all in stride and delivered the most courageous display witnessed by a local boxer for some time. After losing by close shaves in the two preceding bouts, one would have expected his spirits to be daunted but Braithwaite is a member of the Guyana Defence Force and the ‘soldier’ in him rose to the fore and he launched a venomous attack on Marcellin at the start of their third encounter.
The St Lucian proved that he was no slouch and stood his ground while dishing out a healthy portion of power punches. Undaunted, Braithwaite pressed on and before the first round was through, had amassed a slight lead.
The bout resumed at a hectic pace in the second stanza and though Marcellin turned up the heat, Braithwaite refused to wilt and matched his every blow. The two were then engaged in a delightful session of close combat when the referee tore them apart and inexplicably instituted a mandatory count on the Guyanese.
More surprised than hurt, Braithwaite resumed combat and both pugilists went after each other with vicious exchanges right up to the bell. The first two rounds were the storm; the third was the tsunami as both boxers went after each other with such force that the venue shook. The screams of Marcellin’s supporters drowned out those of Braithwaite’s but failed to affect his enthusiasm; several wicked punches slammed into Mercellin who took it like a man and returned the favour.
The pace was furious yet neither boxer wilted. Braithwaite lashed out with a left jab and a chopping right while the southpaw Marcellin shuffled forward delivered a wicked volley. It was truly a no retreat, no surrender affair and it was amazing that the medical specialists were not called in.
When the final bell eventually sounded both warriors respectfully acknowledged the other’s performance in warm embrace, uncharacteristic when the details of the trilogy unfold. Usually a slow starter, Smith uncharacteristically commenced the bout with David in an aggressive mood with crisp jabs and pin point right crosses.
He then slammed in a wicked straight right and gravity took over as the St Lucian tumbled to the canvass. He bravely rose and tried to make a fight out of it but Smith relentlessly pursued him and connected with a one two combination and David fell full length on the canvass where he was counted out.
Charles is a class act and his approach in the opening stages of his bout underlined this. The Guyanese pugilist sized up his man in the early stages of the first stanza before dominating the round with sharp jabs and crisp combinations. Capron rose from his lethargy in the second round and unleashed several body and head shots but Charles wisely changed tactics and resorted to a jab and move ploy.
The contest boiled down to who was the fitter and Charles ‘fitted’ the bill with a flurry of punches that pushed his opponent on the back foot. An especially quick right cross exploded on Capron’s temple and he fell to the canvass with a resounding crash. He struggled to rise and when he eventually achieved an upright position, he was on wobbly legs forcing the referee to wave off the proceedings.
Meanwhile, President of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA), Steve Ninvalle, was among the crowd egging his boxers to victory even as he assessed their performances. Mr Ninvalle said that he was heartened by those displays and feels vindicated with his decision to focus heavily on the young brigade of pugilists.
He said that he owes a debt of gratitude to members of the corporate community whose input has made the difference in the lives of the boxers. Ninvalle also had kind words for Manager of LIAT Airlines, Orin Walton,  the proprietor of Trustees Pawn Shop, Monty Bovell (not Braithwaite as was inadvertently published earlier) and the Permanent Secretary (MCY&S), Alfred King, for their unstinted support towards the development of the sport.
The GBA boss also held discussions with his St Lucia Amateur Boxing Association (SLABA) counterpart, David ‘Shakes’ Christopher on strategies to lift the fortunes of the sport in the region and by extension, improve the lot of the boxers.
They have since tabled a number of initiatives while identifying several international tournaments for future participation. Mr Christopher also conformed to an interview with Kaieteur Sport, for a later publication, where he elaborated on his projections and ideas for the advancement of the sport.  The team was coached and managed by Cuban, Francisco Hernandez Roldan and returned home Monday evening last.
Benjamin’s coverage of the championships was facilitated through the kind courtesy of Mings Products & Services, Vizion Sounds and LIAT Airlines.

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