Tri-Nation Inter Guiana Boxing Championships ...Bogged by poor decisions, Guyana surrenders prestigious accolade

Tri-Nation Inter Guiana Boxing Championships …Bogged by poor decisions, Guyana surrenders prestigious accolade

Mar 17, 2015 Sports

By Michael Benjamin in French Guiana
In association with IPA Pharmacy

Several Guyanese pugilists turned in good performances but a lack of will coupled with several atrocious decisions denied them the honours when the Tri-Nation Inter Guiana Boxing Championships concluded at the

The Guyanese team members pose with their accolades just after the final bell sounded.

Centre Sportif Départemental, Cayenne French Guiana last Saturday evening. The tournament was reduced to a two nation contest after Suriname, initially scheduled to vie for honours, was a no show with no reason proffered.
Taseka Howard was the first casualty when she squared off with Eliane Abissouana and the two engaged in delightful exchanges that thrilled the large crowd. Howard opted to box around while using a good jab, while her opponent charged forward, matador style. The cagey Howard, whose boxing roots emanated from her dad, Vincent, used her jabs to full effect even as her French opponent delivered several power punches which sailed over the Guyanese’s head. Howard would have clinched that round after landing cleaner punches and displaying better ring generalship.
Abissouana made amends in the second stanza and took the round after purposeful attacks

Diwani Lampkin (r) did everything in his power to defeat Farlot Hendricks but in the end the judges had different ideas.

that had Howard on the back foot leaving the third round as the decisive one. Howard has little experience but she dug deep and came up with several combinations that checked her opponent and it appeared as though the Guyanese boxer was well in control when she received a light punch. The blow was quite harmless and Howard brushed it off to resume her aggression when the referee, mysteriously and inexplicably stopped the bout and directed the boxers back to their respective corners. She then awarded the bout to Abissouana.
This reporter sought an explanation for her decision but was hampered by the language barrier as the referee, despite knowing a few English phrases seemed at a loss to decipher what was being asked of her.
If the Howard decision was atrocious, the bout between Guyanese Diwani Lambkin and his French counterpart, Farlot Hendricks, was unimaginable. The two fought in the 65kgs division and Lampkin utilized the initial part of the first round to assert himself. He boxed around and kept his jab in Hendricks’ face while building up the points. The Guyanese kept his man on the back foot while dishing out some vicious blows and by the end of the second round Hendricks seemed more concerned with saving his skin than winning the fight.
The fight developed into a wrestling match in the third stanza and Guyanese referee, Maynard Wilson, issued a warning to the Frenchman for hitting below the belt. Lampkin then turned up the head and for the balance of the round had his man hiding behind highly held guards to stem the constant flow of combinations. At any other day, in any other place, Lampkin would have earned a unanimous verdict; the French judges saw it differently and awarded the bout to Hendricks unanimously. Manager of the team, Gordon Nedd, initially lodged a request for a review of the decision and then withdrew the request saying that it appeared to be a total waste of time.
The 81kgs bout between Guyanese, Dennis Thomas and Leonardo Mosquea, took on the aura of a main bout and at the weigh in both boxers had to be restrained by officials during a verbal confrontation that threatened to turn physical.
When the bell rang to start the bout, both pugilists advanced with vengeance but it was Thomas who scored the first blow, a wicked combination to his opponent’s head. The Frenchman shrugged aside the blows and retaliated with a wicked three punch combination that rocked Thomas and send the large crowd into a frenzied state. Thomas then responded with a wicked left hook that sent Mosquea’s mouthpiece flying and thereafter, the two gladiators engaged in a wicked exchange right up to the bell.
Their dislike for each other spilled into the second round and both fighters launched vicious torpedoes that left the uninitiated wondering how long such ferocity would have lasted. Thomas cranked up and delivered a four punch combination and Mosquea responded unconventionally when he lunged forward, head first, to land an illegal blow that sent Thomas writhing on the canvass. The referee directed the Frenchman to the neutral corner and assessed the situation before waving the bout off and awarding the decision to Thomas. A visibly upset Mosquea vented his anger before storming out of the ring. He later told this reporter, in halting English, that his act was merely retaliation for a similar infringement by Thomas.
Eon Bancroft entered the ring one fight after the Taseka Howard atrocity and unleashed a two fisted attack on Axel Cetout that left no room for an unfair ruling. The Guyanese was guilty many times of over exuberance as he attempted to remove the decision from the judges’ hands. He failed to stop his man but the margin of victory was too great to deny him the decision. Delon Charles is of superb ability but it was just not his night as he failed to find the rhythm or the Achilles heel of his opponent, Kesney Joseph. Fighting in the 58.4 kgs category, Charles lunged forward on most occasions and just could not find the magic punch to put his man away.
Joseph was among the better French boxers and he smartly controlled the bout, systematically applying the pressure to Charles who seemed unable to employ sound counteracting strategies which caused him the bout by a majority verdict.
Dwon Thompson did not help Guyana’s cause when she chose to slug it out with a much stronger Simone Do Santos. The Frenchwoman was literally smiling all through the time the fight lasted even as she pounded away on Thompson.
Conversely, the Guyanese pugilist’s face was contorted in pain and after receiving a pummeling, fell to the canvas while clutching her tummy. The referee tolled away the count in what was merely an academic gesture as Thompson showed no inclination to return to the fray.
Guyana also surrendered the 65kgs bout after Quincy Harvey failed to mesh with Jordon N’Guete, while Trevon King found the skill of Talentino de Larosa too much for him and he lost by majority verdict.