Jamaica’s Britney McFarlane takes aim at Alesha Jackman Briso’s ‘Pro/Am card

May 11, 2023 Sports

Kaieteur Sports – Jamaica’s participation in the upcoming Briso Promotions Pro/Am Card on May 21 has been officially confirmed.

Alesha Jackman

The event will be held at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue, and will feature female pugilist Britney McFarlane and coach Gilbert Valz, with McFarlane set to battle local star Alesha Jackman in an amateur affair.

This will be the second international fixture confirmed for the amateur section, with Trinidad and Tobago champion Lee Ann Boodram set to enter the ring against Abiola Jackman, Alesha’s sibling.

The Trinidad and Tobago fighter will arrive on local shores on Saturday, May 20th for her fistic engagement.

The Jackman sisters are the first-ever Guyanese female pugilists to attain a world ranking from the International Boxing Association (IBA), after their participation at the Women’s World Championships in New Delhi, India.

Abiola Jackman is now ranked 27th in the world in the Elite Women 81 and over Kg or heavyweight division, while Alesha is seeded 58th in the Elite Women 60-63 Kg or junior welterweight division.

According to GBA President Steve Ninvalle, “The confirmation of Jamaica’s participation coupled with Trinidad and Tobago’s established attendance, has firmly concretized this card as an international endeavour.”

Jamaican Britney McFarlane

“What is exceptionally noteworthy is that female pugilists will take centre stage in the amateur section, which is a momentous achievement and a watershed moment for the discipline. Additionally, the confirmed participation of our Caribbean counterparts will certainly raise the event’s already established international profile and will act as a catalyst for the publicizing of the female game,” Ninvalle said.

He further added, “The GBA has once again illustrated its unwavering commitment to the development of female boxing which has pellucidly taken centre stage in 2023 via local events and international sojourns and campaigns. The association remains dedicated to elevating every aspect of the sport, with particular emphasis on empowering the female component which in previous eras was neglected. This is our evidential and unwritten mandate for 2023 and onward.”

The Briso Promotions ‘Pro/Am Card’ is being projected to surpass the atmosphere, ambiance, and overall quality of the recently staged Patrick Forde Memorial Championships, which was hailed as the benchmark for a local boxing event.

The event will feature five exciting professional bouts and an equal number of amateur engagements, headlined and co-headlined by Elton Dharry and Dexter ‘De Kid’ Marques respectively.

Dharry will enter the squared circle against Ramos Ronald in an eight-round Bantamweight fixture whilst Marques will battle Luis Carrillo in an eight-round Super Bantamweight encounter.

A Caribbean rivalry will also resume on fight night as Terrence Adams is pencilled to face off against Barbadian Ricardo Blackman, while Anthony Augustin will match skills with Emmanuel Anderson of Barbados.

The card will also feature a six-round Super Flyweight bout between Natalya Delgado and Darianis Garcia.

The May 21st fight night will mark Dharry’s return to the ring in over a year and will serve as a tune-up for his July encounter on local shores with Hugo Hernandez of Mexico for the WBC Silver Belt.

Dharry, 37, fought for the WBA Super flyweight title in 2019 but suffered a controversial ninth-round stoppage loss to Australian Andrew Maloney in Melbourne.

According to organizers, the event promises to be a remarkable showcase of talent from both local and international fighters.

The GBA’s commitment to elevating every aspect of the sport, particularly empowering the female component, is commendable and bodes well for the future of boxing in Guyana.