Plans are going full steam for the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) in conjunction with McDonald Promotions Patrick Ford Memorial boxing card slated for February 25 at the National Gymnasium.
The card initially was slated for February 17 but GBA President Steve Ninvalle told Guyana Times International Sport flight issues caused the date to be shifted but confirmed fighters from St. Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago will attend.
Fourteen bouts, two of which are female fights are carded for the event which is being laced with many eyes due to some of the fireworks anticipated. Guyana’s marque youth fighter and Commonwealth Youth Games silver medallist, Keevin Allicock will touch gloves with Trinidad’s Christopher de Freitas in the bantamweight bash.
Another crowd attraction should be the highly anticipated junior welterweight grudge match between Guyana’s Collin ‘Superman’ Lewis and St Lucia’s Nathan Ferrari. The boiling water stems from Lewis flooring Ferrari at home on his way to gold at the Caribbean Boxing Championship in 2017.
Ninvalle commenting on the bout expressed “I have stated unequivocally to my college from St Lucia that while they may be paying airfare to meet here we will provide accommodation and meals which entails providing the canvas and the pillow for him [Nathan Ferrari] to sleep.”
He added, “We expect what Lewis will do what he did in the Caribbean championship when he stopped Ferrari, they of course thought it was fluke but we will show it is not”.
The GBA further explained the card was name after Forde in keeping with their new routine of honouring top pugilist from the country.
Ford died at age 56, won sixteen consecutive professional bouts at the start of his career in Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Nigeria, between 1978 and 1980.
After stopping Eddie Ndukwu in August 1980 to win the Commonwealth (British Empire) featherweight title, on September 13, 1980, Ford lost a majority decision to Salvador Sanchez for the World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight title in Texas. One judge had the bout a draw at 145–145.
On February 14, 1981, Ford was knocked out by Eusebio Pedroza in a failed attempt to win the WBC featherweight title. After losing his next two fights, Ford retired in 1987.
