Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Apr 13, 2013 Sports
By Michael Benjamin
Guyanese boxing buffs lamenting the paucity of qualitative boxing cards locally will be able to quench those desires when the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) presents a 5 fight card, dubbed ‘Firestorm’ at the Princess Hotel, Providence EBD April 20 next.
Already, tongues are wagging as pundits gear up for the action which includes two international titles with Howard ‘Battersea Bomber’ Eastman taking on Jamaican, Sakima Mullings coupled with the main supporting bout where Clive Atwell will match gloves with Venezuelan, Raphael Hernandez for the vacant WBCCABOFE featherweight title.
Then there is the highly anticipated bout between Mark Austin and the undefeated Gladwin Dorway for the local the local welterweight belt.
Elton ‘The Bully’ Dharry was scheduled to put his bantamweight title on the line against Hewley Robinson in a 12 rounds scrap but the latter boxer sustained a serious shoulder injury which has since ruled him out. Organizers have promised that Dharry will be offered a replacement but is still to finalize such arrangements.
Maybe the fight, or should that be the fighter, that has created the most interest is the super/middleweight bout between Syrian boxer, Mahmood ‘The Extractor’ Loul and Berbician, Derick Richmond. The former pugilist, former kick boxer, has had a dream start to his boxing career with a crushing first round knockout of Patrick Boston.
He has since promised to replicate that feat and his training sessions certainly endorse his ambitions. On the other hand, Richmond has shrugged off Mahmood’s dreams as just that and promised to take the bout ‘by any means necessary.’
Mullings attracted the attention of Guyanese fans when he carved out a 5th round stoppage of Winston Pompey at the Auditorio Karl Hendrickson, Kingston, Jamaica in June 2011.
The Jamaica was not so lucky in his next fight and he dropped a points decision to Rikardo Smith. He has record of knocking out 6 of his opponents. A relatively young professional boxer, Mullings’ biggest achievement to date is the Commonwealth Boxing Council Zonal Middleweight title he won last year.
However, the Jamaican national has never fought outside of the Island and Eastman will obviously feel that he can win on experience.
Mullings is also an academic with a Bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance, an accolade he procured from the State University of New York. However, he has postponed his advancement in his academic life to concentrate on his boxing career.
In an exclusive interview with Jamaican, Denise Dennis, Career & Education staff reporter, Mullings described boxing as a business at the top level than a sport. “So I could be a better fighter than another individual, but another fighter will get more fights than me because you can say he is more marketable or he can sell more tickets. With good management and promotion he could avoid me, so it’s usually not the best who is the champion.”
Notwithstanding, Mullings believe that his ability can finally see him clinching a top spot in the sport. “My coach always tells me, that a boxer can’t be denied if he continues to win; the top guys could only go around you for so long.” He believes that the Eastman might just epitomize this view.
The winner takes home the World Boxing Council Caribbean Boxing Federation (WBACABOFE) and the World Boxing Association Fede Caribe (WBAFEDCAR) welterweight belts plus bragging right and a chance to move up in the world rankings.
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