GBA’s Andrew Lewis Nat Novices Boxing C/Ships... Soldiers dominate ‘Nuff Cuff’ opening night

GBA’s Andrew Lewis Nat Novices Boxing C/Ships… Soldiers dominate ‘Nuff Cuff’ opening night

May 06, 2018 Sports

FYF’s Alex Murray is caught to the head with a right before he earned a TKO verdict over GDF’s Royden Grant with 26 second left in the fight.

Story and Photos by Sean Devers
The action on the opening night of the three-night Guyana Boxing Association’s (GBA) Andrew ‘Six head’ Lewis National Novices Boxing Championships at the National Gymnasium on Friday was fast and furious with GDF winning five of the night’s six bouts.
Middleweight Alex Murray of the Forgotten Youth Foundation (FYF) whose three-person fan group sounded like a capacity crowd with their raucous support, broke the sequence of GDF wins when he got the better of GDF’s Royden Grant with a last round TKO in one of the most entertaining fights of the night.
The fair sized gathering, which included Guyana’s first Commonwealth (professional) Champion Lennox Blackmore, Guyana’s only Olympic Medalist Mike Parris and South Paw Kenny Bristol, watched as only one fight on the night went the full distance.
After GDF’s Jamal LaRose easily disposed of stable-mate Dexter Alexander when their Bantamweight bout was stopped 51 seconds into the night’s action, Jevon Gomes beat Irvine Austin by TKO in the second round of an all GDF Lightweight battle, while the Junior Welterweight encounter between Aldyn Melville and fellow Solider Jermaine Blackman ended in a second round TKO for Blackman.
The Middleweight division was the most entertaining and had the gathering on its feet, while the Army drummers (without their trumpet) had the GDF fans dancing in the stands; creating a wonderful atmosphere of energy which rivaled the Music Set which doubled as the PA system for the Ring Announcer.

A wicked left from Jevon Gomes rocks back the head of Irvine Austin in an all GDF bout which was won by Gomes.

The first Middleweight fight pitted Nikel Inniss of FYF and GDF’s Montel Fraser and both came out with all guns blazing and traded punches in bunches with Inniss winning a close round.
The Solider began to find his range in the second round as the pair of pugilists sustained the up tempo momentum with some hard but at times unorthodox shots in a round that Fraser won.
Both Boxers seemed to be tiring in the final round and their punches lacked venom but the more aggressive Fraser prevailed with a unanimous decision.
The second Middleweight contest saw Grant taking the opening round as both Boxers began with plenty of aggression as they punched and counterpunched in a high intensity round.
Urged on by his vocal fans, Murray found his man with several crisp jabs which set up uppercuts to Grant’s body but Grant retaliated with combinations of his own as the pendulum swung back and forth.
The three Murray fans screamed their support every time the FYF fighter landed a shot, while on the opposite side of the venue, the Army drums rolled when Grant connected to the head of Murray with a crunching straight right and GDF contingent were jumping in the stands as the second round ended ‘Even Stevens’.
With both Boxers running out gas, the final round saw more holding as the minutes were running out but just with just 26 second left in the fight Grant was hurt by a good right hand and the fight was stopped to the delight of the three screams fans.
GDF has the most Boxers in the Championships and would be looking to maintain their dominance when the action continued last night and tonight from 20:00hrs.