Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 28, 2009 Sports
By Michael Benjamin
After more than a year, the unacceptable drought in the professional boxing arena will finally come to an end when S&S Promotions stages 38 rounds of fistic action at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall tonight.
Stanford Solomon, the businessman behind this card has courageously taken up the mantle to provide boxing fans with some kind of fistic entertainment. This promotions group is obviously attempting to fill a chasm, left open for a plethora of reasons which even though relevant, would be best addressed after tonight’s slugfest.
What is important right now is that the boxers who have been starving for activity and the fans who have been starving for fistic entertainment would finally have their respective desires met.
There has been a slight change in the composition of the card and naturally boxing buffs would question whether such changes may have a negative effect on the general quality of the fights. Even a cursory glance will confirm that fans need not nurture doubts as to whether they will get their money’s worth. Both Gilkes and Eastman were already contracted to be on the card. Yes, they were slated to oppose different opponents but the fact that they would have been preparing for a fight would obviously settle the issue regarding their fitness level.
Eastman was slated to match gloves with Clyde Williams while Gilkes would have faced Lennox ‘Pretty Boy’ Allen. The Allen/Gilkes encounter was to have been an eliminator with the winner opposing Eastman sometime later this year. While a victory for Gilkes was not a certainty, he would have already set his sights on a victory and a concomitant Eastman clash.
‘The Pretty Boy’ had already entered camp at the Kick Boxing Center, Miami Florida in preparation for the clash with Gilkes. We were told that he was engaged in rigid sparring sessions with former world middleweight champion, Glen Johnson but was forced out of the fight after sustaining an unfortunate injury to his hand.
Substitutions are nothing new in the fistic sport and many fighters could attest to the opportunities presented to them after taking advantage of a substitute fight. The idea is to stay in form in case such opportunities present themselves. Gilkes now has the opportunity of a lifetime. If he pulls this fight off, he can be assured of more lucrative fights in the near future. For this reason, a thrilling match is envisaged.
Professional fighters study tapes of their opponents during training sessions in order to ascertain their weaknesses and strengths. Eastman has not been able to enjoy this luxury because of the late switch of opponents. Gilkes, on the other hand, would have had a first hand look at Eastman when he fought ‘Deadly’ Denny Dalton along with the two encounters against Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis. Gilkes would, therefore, have an idea of who he will be up against and the best fight plan to institute.
No one would deny that Gilkes packs a mean punch. He is a compact fighter who can score a knockout with either hand. What he lacks, however, is the ability to effectively cut the ring. He may find that this anomaly a disadvantage against a fighter of Eastman’s caliber especially since ‘The Battersea Bomber’ would have faced an array of fighters in Europe, coupled with those during his American sojourn.
Gilkes has recently returned from Trinidad and Tobago where he said he underwent a rigid three weeks training session. He said that there was no paucity of sparring partners and he had benefited immensely from the stint. Tonight’s bout will uncover the truth or lie of this pronouncement. During sparring sessions at the Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis Boxing gym, in preparation for tonight’s fight, he has shown a marked improvement and can very well spring some surprises.
At the press briefing earlier this week, Gilkes had confirmed his admiration and respect for Eastman’s achievement on the international scene. He was also quick to pronounce that he was in awe of, but certainly not daunted by these achievements.
Eastman is a crafty boxer while Gilkes is more of a brawler. It is based on these contrasting styles that boxing fans can troop to the venue expecting lots of action and, according to Gilkes, an upset.
The female fight between Sharon Warde and Veronica Blackman will no doubt be a scorcher with both fighters out to prove different points. Both fighters are proud warriors. Warde will want to show that her victory over Blackman last year was no fluke while Blackman would want to exact revenge for that loss. When one remembers that Blackman had accepted the first fight on short notice yet came out victorious, the obvious prediction would be a replication of that result.
Veronica Blackman has also proven that she is a mean contender. In her fight with Pamela London, a more seasoned contender, she had waged a punch for punch war at the end of which the fans felt that she had won comfortably. The judges felt otherwise and London was awarded a split decision. The proposed return bout never materialized after London reported ill after signing the contract.
Blackman had chided London for her cowardice saying that she (London) was feigning sickness to opt out of the return clash. It was this fight Warde had accepted and came out with flying colours. Blackman had claimed that she had underrated Warde and had been complacent in the fight. Now that both fighters would have had enough time to prepare for the second fight, fans could look forward to a slugfest.
The other fighters on the card are relatively young but make no mistake they have trained hard for this fight and will be looking to impress the promoter so that they can be a part of his future cards. Winston Pompey has recently been humiliated by Rawle Frank and his decision to step back and initiate a rebuilding process is certainly commendable. It is indeed a wise decision to accept a less strenuous fight rather than surge ahead among the big guns and risk further catastrophe for his budding career. The fight against Eversley Browne, a debutant, may very well define his future in the sport and assist a decision whether he should continue in the ring or seek another vocation.
Clyde Williams and Anthony Augustin will square off in a fight that can go either way, while Patrick Boston and Kwesi Jones, two other debutants, squares off in what can very well be the warmer in the bank.
Whichever way the decisions go, fans are assured of receiving their money’s worth. And with an entrance fee of $1,500 for ringside and $700 for stands, there is no reason why the CASH should not be packed to capacity tonight.
Despite the adverse economic climate in Guyana, a promoter has dared to take the risks and promote a card. The fans will be judging the general quality of the fights to determine whether they will support future cards. The ball is now in the boxers’ court. The future of the sport rests in the hands of every fighter on show tonight.
Meanwhile, the fighters climbed onto the scale last evening to determine their weight heading into today’s clashes. Leon Gilkes will go into the bout with a distinct advantage after tipping the scale at 169lbs to Howard Eastman’s 162.
Sharon Ward weighed in at 171lbs to her opponent’s, Veronica Blackman’s 172.
Winston Pompey 160 with Eversley Browne at 162, Clive Williams 193 is 20lbs lighter than Anthony Agustin at 213 and Cecil Smith and Jermaine King tipped the scale at 138 and 143lbs respectively, while Patrick Browne 160 gave up pounds to Quincy Jones at 162.
JAGDEO ADDING MORE DANGER TO GUYANA AND THE REGION
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