Professional Boxing re-imagined amid an Amateur Influence

Jun 11, 2023 Sports

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Kaieteur Sports – Although the significance, at least in recent times, of professional boxing in Guyana can be questioned given its paucity, the recently staged ‘Return of the Scorpio’ Pro/Am Card, which was a conception of Brisco Promotions, exemplifies that a clamouring and appetite exists for this fistic enterprise.

The abovementioned Fight Night was marketed as the largest fight card in more than a decade and it subsequently delivered, surpassing the critically acclaimed Patrick Forde Memorial as the modern-day benchmark for a local boxing extravaganza.

The capacity horde, whose decibel level, could be heard and felt outside the confines of the National Gymnasium, the background for the respective battles, was certainly influenced by the anticipation of the return of the prodigal son, Elton Dharry, to the squared circle.

Dharry’s reintroduction to this dangerous occupation following a one-year hiatus, served as the headliner of a 10-card extravaganza, five of which were of the amateur class, and which, given the plethora of nationalities of the scheduled combatants, was an exhibition of an international tapestry.

Though in no particular order to emphasize any form of prejudice or prominence, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, were willing parties in this indulgence across both spectra of the night.

In detail, the Latin American connection came in the form of Colombians, Ronald Ramos, and Luis Carillo; Panamanian, Natalya Delgado; and Venezuelan, Estafania Matute. Closer to home, principally from a cultural certitude, the ‘Caribbean Massive’ comprised Trinidad and Tobago’s, Lee Ann Boodram; Jamaican Britney MacFarlane; and Barbadians, Ricardo Blackman and Emmanuel Anderson. Clearly, women played a major role in this ‘film’, which was a resounding hit with the populace.

All that eventually transpired was a reimagined exhibition of brutality!

There is a home, a dwelling, a sweet escape for this combative industry. That was evident by all and sundry who made the trek to the Mandela Avenue-based facility which was transformed into a theatre of dreams.

Inside the squared circle, the artistry of the sweet science required no definition or explanation. The resulting strikes and forays, bobs and weaves, the variety which might feature technical and colloquial designations, based on who is petitioned for clarity, offered a universally understood but clannish parlance.

Outside the ring, the atmosphere was an amalgamation of the music, attires, and the necessary and expected contrasting colourful verbal dialogues from the experts in the seats, no doubt influenced by the consumption of various spirits and brews.

Fighting is natural, and boxing is a refined derivative, though, of dangerous consequences. And that is because of obvious mortal reasons.

There is a type of measured cruelty, a friendly malice to be precise that is associated with pugilism, more so of the professional genus, that seems to evoke a sentiment of acceptance by its educated but hardened fellowship. Maybe that is why boxing is not viewed in an ‘artistic’ light.

While every event is not without its minuscule hindrances, this one included, the evening for the vast majority of the script went according to design. The logistical apparatus was meticulous to a fault which ensured a seamless transition between the encounters.

This mechanism extended beyond the pugilism on display, with most notably, the security protocols, oftentimes an unacknowledged but critical element and structure of sporting ventures, being stringent in its employment.

The spectators, especially those at ringside, were not spared from the night’s aforesaid efficiency, as the uniformed wait staff of both genders catered to their every ‘nutritional’ need. The compartmentalization of the ringside sitting area and an elevated VIP stage unquestionably ushered in a middle-class appeal, and intent.

Boxing has evidently undertaken a glamorous but deserved metamorphosis. No longer can it be designated locally as simply an arena for the underprivileged, and bleachers for the disadvantaged. That is also developmental! Advancement goes beyond the realities of the confined battleground to incorporate the overall pageantry of the proceedings.

Ultimately, boxing, on both sides of the coin, but more importantly of the professional nature, was surely the winner on the night. It was an illustration through its carnival aura and conditions, that professional boxing remains a significant societal pursuit.

That alone was success personified, irrespective of the intended commercial objectives. And although boxing will always have its market share due to its historical significance, the amateur game primarily under the current GBA dispensation has illustrated that notion with fervency.

That truth must be acknowledged! The immutable fact, the gospel for the objective, and unemotional, is that amateur boxing is largely responsible for the resultant successes of the ‘Return of the Scorpio’ Fight Night.

It is directly answerable, to a fault, for the resuscitation of the discipline after being at the forefront of its local development against the backdrop of an extended professional interlude. It has had the unenviable task and objective of rekindling the proverbial fighting spirit that has now manifested into a structured developmental agenda.

International campaigns inclusive of World Championships, Regional competitions such as Carifta Games and South American Championships, and Local exhibitions, the most ever attended and commissioned locally in the history of the discipline, as well as global educational opportunities and certifications for technical officers, are of regularity, and created and maintained the sport’s current climate and ecosystem.

Where professional boxing has been dormant and without an established blueprint and direction for its growth, the amateur fragment has flourished and provided the ideal reprieve and alternative for an ardent fellowship.

Even the optics associated with the historically barbaric enterprise and highlighted by events of a past era have now undertaken a more glamorous existence, which has been a hallmark of the GBA machinery under the leadership astute president Steve Ninvalle. Without fear of contradiction, the ‘Return of the Scorpio’ card benefited from this actuality, as local boxing, in recent memory, is of amateur persuasion.

In the final analysis, the professional element has now displayed a similar level of capacity and potential despite a dearth of opportunities. It has officially come to the party given the overwhelming accomplishment of the ‘Return of the Scorpio’ Fight Night. One can only hope that this is just the start and that professional boxing is truly being reimagined. Bravo Seon Bristol, bravo Steve Ninvalle.

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• Boxing promoter, GBA President, National Gymnasium, Seon Bristol, Steve Ninvalle

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