WBC world featherweight championship fight Atwell intensifies training regimen with technical applications Leaves for USA soon

Apr 26, 2014 Sports

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By Michael Benjamin
When Clive ‘The Punisher’ Atwell enters the ring against Johnny Gonzalez for the latter fighter’s World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight belt May 24 next, the local pugilist will undoubtedly be up against the toughest customer of his fledgling career. For that reason, Atwell has upped the ante and has made several important adjustments to his training schedule which also includes a training stint at the world famous Gleason’s Gym, Front Street Brooklyn.
The local multiple champion is currently honing his skills at the Andrew Lewis Boxing Gym (ALBG), Albouystown, but leaves Guyana early next month where he will trade punches among the best in the business at the aforementioned training facility. He will be accompanied by his trainer, Lennox ‘Cappell’ Daniels.

The decision to shift camps stemmed from a paucity in sparring partners locally and Atwell’s management has opted for a short sojourn in the Brooklyn based training facility. While the pundits have lauded the new applications to his training regimen, Atwell’s training team is leaving nothing to chance and apart from the two hours early morning roadwork complimented by a rigorous two hours session in the ALBG in the afternoons, Atwell also engages in a special 45 minutes workout, three days per week at the Alpha Fitness Centre, Dowding Street, Kitty, under the tutelage of Andrew Hooper, a renowned American martial artist of Guyanese parentage with expertise in the physical fitness arena.
Yesterday morning, merely two hours after completing a rigorous session in the National Park, Atwell was back at work, this time in the Dowding Street facility where Mr. Hooper carried him through his paces. While the early morning sessions in the National Park are specifically orchestrated for conditional purposes and the afternoon sessions to fine tune his boxing skills, the mid-morning session is geared towards strength and conditioning with special emphasis on the assimilation of the local champion’s mind, body and lungs. Mr Hooper explained that since his charge is competing in high altitude terrain, he will be required to make the requisite adjustments in order to counteract the debilitating conditions in Mexico.
As such, Atwell is required to don an elevation/altitude training mask which according to his specialist trainer assists the user in the adjustment to the high altitude. He said that the mask, worn throughout the session, reduces the oxygen intake thus creating a high altitude scenario.
The gadget seemed to be serving its purpose and this writer noted that Atwell wheezed as he attempted to cope with the effects of the mask.
“He is coming around nicely and has shown great improvement from the time he started,” explained Mr Hooper. He further explained that the application necessitates a great deal of skill and technicality to achieve the required result. “We are now shifting gears but instead of stringently applying the pressure, I will employ an ease and press model while easing him to his peak in order to attain optimum results,” explained Mr Hooper.
Atwell’s training was indeed broad based and he was made to work out on a ‘ladder’ contraption that his trainer said aided in coordination, precision and speed. The champion was also introduced to a special type of exercise with a gadget comprising of rope material that Mr Hooper said ‘increased muscle tone and shoulder strength.
Meanwhile, Mr Hooper said that his stint with the champion ends when he leaves for New York. Mr Hooper explained that though Atwell will not be using the mask while in North America, he will still be in tune for the high altitude transition three weeks later when he shifts camp to the Spanish country. “As a matter of fact, he will be conforming to the ease and press theory and I expect him to gel nicely for fight night,” a confident Hooper proclaimed.
Some 50 minutes into the session, Atwell closed off with another intricate bit of work where he was required to wear a sling with a metal plate at the end which strengthened his neck muscles. Atwell then left the facility, tired but refreshed, for home where he enjoyed a much deserved rest before leaving for the afternoon sessions some three hours later.
Atwell currently resides in Dominica but has returned home and also works out at the Andrew Lewis Boxing Gym, Albouystown under the watchful eyes of veteran coach, Lennox ‘Cappell’ Daniels. The distinct difference in experience between him and Gonsalves cannot be ignored; Gonzalez is a veteran and has compiled a decent 63-8 record. He has registered 47 knockouts with a ratio of 74.6 percent. Atwell has an impressive 12-0-1 record and a flurry of late knockouts has improved his knockout ratio to a percentage of 53.85. While Gonzalez seemed to be the more experienced and while his record looms ominously, records and statistics can sometimes be misleading.
Gonzalez, who won the title from Elio Rojas on points in April 2012, was initially slated to defend against Abner Mares. Those two had engaged in an earlier bout in August last year where Gonzalves had prevailed after he stopped Mares in the first round to retain his title. They were set for the second encounter when Abner incurred an injury to his ribs during training and was forced out of the fight paving the way for the Atwell encounter.
Atwell’s last fight was against Jamaican, Glenroy Beckford, on Oct 14 last whom he knocked out in the second round. Before that he had disposed of Rudolph Fraser and won the local featherweight title before taking on Revlon Lake for the local lightweight title. He then disposed of Trinidadian, Prince Lee Isidore for the Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) title and was on the verge of accruing the imminent bout. “I have noted that Gonzalez seems to be quite a force but I am already in training and plan to give this fight all that I’ve got,” Atwell intimated. Indeed the Mexican pugilist is a force to be reckoned and is as tough as nails.
He won the title after a bruising fight with Elias Rojas and successfully defended several times. In his defence against Daniel Ponce DeLeon, Gonzalez was floored in round 8 from an accidental head butt that opened a cut over his right eye. He rose from the canvass, shrugged off that injury and went on to win the fight on points. He also rose from the canvass and defeated another tough customer, Eusebio Osejo, in February last year even after a further point was deducted from his score for intentionally spitting out his mouthpiece to procure more time.
Should he achieve the feat, Atwell will follow in the footsteps of Andrew Lewis, Gwendolyn O’Neil, Vivian Harris, Gary St Clair, Wayne Braithwaite and Shondel Alfred. To date, sixteen Guyanese-born professional boxers have attempted such a feat with those mentioned above being successful.

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