GDF dominates opening day of Andrew Lewis Novice C/ship

Oct 01, 2023 Sports

Kaieteur Sports – The 2023 Andrew Lewis National Novice Boxing Championship commenced on Friday at the National Gymnasium, located along Mandela Avenue, featuring seven thrilling bouts. The defending champions from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) made a powerful statement on the opening day of the competition, securing an impressive six victories.

The evening commenced with an electrifying first match, as Lennox Harvey, known as “the upper-cut master,” skillfully outmaneuvered Anthony Sanders from the GDF. In the later part of the first round, Sanders found himself on the receiving end of an eight-count, signaling the dominance of Harvey. After three rounds of intense pugilism, Harvey, representing the Police Boxing Gym, emerged victorious.

The second bout of the evening pitted Christopher Henry against Shawn Rodney. Both fighters wasted no time and unleashed a barrage of power punches from the outset. Just 55 seconds into the second round, Rodney decided to abandon the contest after sustaining a critical blow. Henry secured the win in the 66-71kg Light Middleweight semi-finals through the judge’s scorecard.

Meanwhile, the match between Alex Butcher and his gymmate Jamal Booker saw Butcher emerge triumphant. The contest was halted 2 minutes and 58 seconds into the first round, with Butcher declared the winner by Referee Stopped Contest (RSC).

The stage was set for the light heavyweight clashes between Malachi Clarke versus Joseph George, and Sherwin Gravesande against Kevin O’Neil. George prevailed over Clarke, earning him a spot in the semi-finals of the 75-80 kg division. While, in the light heavyweight semi-finals contest between O’Neil and Gravesande, O’Neil was unable to continue 1 minute and 23 seconds into the second round, resulting in his loss due to abandonment.

GDF’s Rayan Harry after winning the Super Heavyweight semi finals matchup with Oswald Yaw (Republican Boxing gym)

In another exciting match, Zidhan Wray, representing the GDF, faced off against Leandrea Abrams from the Police force. Wray’s longer reach played a significant role as he defeated Abrams with a match-winning jab that sent Abrams to the canvas just 1 minute and 20 seconds into the second round. Unfortunately for Abrams, he couldn’t recover from the blow, granting Wray a well-deserved victory and a place in the semi-finals of the Super Heavyweight division (90 kg and over).

The evening concluded in an electrifying manner as Rayan Harry triumphed over Oswald Yaw from the Republican team. Harry secured the win 2 minutes and 34 seconds into the second round, as the referee had to stop the contest when Yaw failed to recover from a second eight-count.

The excitement continued yesterday and culminates today at the same venue with more thrilling bouts. Action starts at 18:30 hours.

• Andrew Lewis National Novice Boxing Championship, featuring, Guyana Defence Force (GDF), impressive, Mandela Avenue