Terrence Ali National Open Boxing Championships...Punches in bunches as amateur boxers gear up for international duties

Terrence Ali National Open Boxing Championships…Punches in bunches as amateur boxers gear up for international duties

Nov 02, 2015 Sports

By Michael Benjamin
It was an occasion worth remembering when local boxers bared fists in the semi-finals of the Terrence Ali National Open Boxing Championships at the Andrew Lewis Boxing Gym, Independence Boulevard last Saturday evening. Indeed, most of the bouts were characterized by ‘punches in bunches’ and raised the hopes of Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) administrators, who will be selecting the team to represent this country in the ‘Back to the Future’ Caribbean Boxing Tournament, scheduled for this month end at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH).

Action in the heated contest between Diwani Lampkin and Nankumar Singh.

The boxers gave an inkling of what fans could expect when, before an improved crowd attendance from the inaugural night, they turned in action packed performances that truly entertained the spectators.
An especially thrilling bout occurred between Diwani Lampkin and Republican, Nankumar Singh, where the former boxer scraped home with a split decision after a stormy affair. A rangy fighter, Lampkin knew that he could not mix with Singh, a short rough and tumble boxer who delighted in close combat. Lampkin got on his bicycle from the onset but could not always keep the rampaging Singh at bay. The latter boxer quartered the ring and unleashed several telling punches which Lampkin took like a man before retaliating with salvoes of his own.
The spectators loved the action and when the bell sounded for the start of the second round, a large section of the crowd flocked the ring in their exuberance and forced the referee to halt the proceedings to restore some order. Upon resumption, the Republican forced his opponent into a brawl where he (Nankumar), felt more comfortable. He unleashed several salvos before Lampkin wisely resorted to his dancing movements. The action then went wild as both boxers aimed at each other and scored with crunching blows. First it was Lampkin who struck with several crosses before Singh responded with several hooks and body punches.
Buoyed by his success in the second round, Singh decided to up the ante at the start of the third. Only this time, instead of dancing away, Lampkin met him head on and a delightful toe to toe slugfest really entertained the appreciative crowd. The two boxers resumed the bout in close combat in round three and Lampkin almost lost a point for holding but was instead warned by the referee. It seemed as though Nankumar was making a statement, if you are to beat me you must be well conditioned to withstand the onslaught. Lampkin did not only prove that he could withstand the onslaught, he also supported that belief with matching aggression. The judges concurred and awarded him the bout by split decision.
Clairmonte Gibson (GDF) also cemented his place among the top amateur boxers when he bulldozed his Republican opponent, Christopher DaSilva, into submission in their bantamweight encounter. Gibson attacked his man from the first gong with several wicked clouts to his head. DaSilva opted to sprint around the ring to ward off the blows but Gibson pressed on and cornered him before unleashing a wicked right hand punch that landed flush on DaSilva’s jaw. The referee stopped the fight and summoned the ringside nurse who after a cursory check pronounced that DaSilva was too disoriented to continue. The time was 2:30secs of the first round.
Kellon King (FYF) returned with a bang after losing his last bout, on the Atwell/Gonsalves card, to Nankumar Singh, with a decisive victory over Republican, Klaus Daniels. Fighting out of a southpaw stance, King withstood several crunching punches in the early stages of the first stanza, one of which resulted in him receiving a mandatory 8 count. He returned to the fray in the second stanza and matched his opponent blow for blow. It was during this exchange that King struck with a humdinger that forced the ‘third man’ to institute a mandatory 8 count. Daniels refused to baulk and upon resumption, attacked with venom. The ploy backfired when King landed again, forcing the referee to count Daniels for the second time in the bout before deciding that he was too hurt to continue. The time was 2:27secs of the second round.
Jason Phillips (FYF) is a classical boxer but chose to brawl with Colin Lewis (GDF) in their jnr/welterweight bout. Whenever Phillips opted to box he looked superior but for some inexplicable reason he chose to engage his opponent in a brawl, throwing wild punches that had little effect. He paid the price for his bad judgment when he lost the fight on points.
Delon Charles (FYF) had a field day against Republican, Stephan Andrews in their bantamweight encounter. He pummeled his man early in the first round, pushing him back to the ropes with left jabs and right crosses. Andrews showed some retaliation nearing the end of the round when the two pugilists became locked in a delightful exchange in one of the neutral corners.
Charles enjoyed some target practice in round two with several unanswered volleys to his opponent’s head. He had his man reeling from several combinations and the referee decided to institute a mandatory 8 count. Andrews made it to the end of the round but just could not muster the will to reenter the fray; he quitted on his stool at the start of the final round.
In all, there were 17 bouts and the spectators were really entertained.
In other results Jamal Eastman (RHJ) won by decision over Sean Griffith (FYF) in the bantamweight category of the youth bout. In the Elite jnr/flyweight category, Teusimar Peters (GDF) defeated Kishon Matthews (REP) while Tyronne Lashley (RHJ) was too good for Richard Subratee (FYF) in their jnr/flyweight shindig. Aluko Venture {GDF) then won his flyweight bout against Republican, Dexter Wray while Tefon Green (GDF), also a flyweight, came away with a points decision over his gym mate, Keon Williams. The lightweight bout between Aquancy Harvey (GDF) and Joel Williamson (RHJ) ended in default after the latter boxer failed to turn up and gifted a walkover to his opponent.
In the jnr/welterweight division, Marlon Darrel (FYF) earned a unanimous verdict over Republican, Anandram Dharamraj while Dharamraj’s gym mate, Clifton Graham repaired the damage somewhat with a points verdict over Marley Ross (GDF). Dennis Thomas (Police) needed 1:23secs of the 2nd round to dispose of Dwayne July (GDF) in the middleweight category while Trevon King (GDF) was a no show for his middleweight affair against his gym mate, Julius Handover and conceded a walkover.
Veteran boxer, Markember Pierre (GDF) proved too good for his Republican opponent, Junior Nurse, and won their light/heavyweight bout on points. The final bout of the night brought together two soldiers, Desmond Amsterdam and Colin Martin and the later pugilist prevailed on points. The finals were held last night whereupon a team will be selected and encamped for the upcoming ‘Back to the Future’ Inter Caribbean tournament this month end.