Braithwaite, Corbin to headline ‘The Redemption’

– Three CABOFE title fights on October 27 card
By Avenash Ramzan

Two new Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) champions will be crowned, while another will put his title on the line on October 27 when the Guyana Boxing Board of Control stages ‘The Redemption’- a five-fight card- at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

While USA-based Guyanese Elton ‘Coolie Bully’ Dharry will look to defend his WBC CABOFE bantamweight title against Jamaican Rudolph Hedge in the main supporting clash, Guyana’s former world champion, Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite will trade punches with Trinidad and Tobago-based Guyanese, Sean Corbin, for the vacant WBC CABOFE cruiserweight title.
The other title fight of the night will bring together Guyanese Clive Atwell and Prince Lee Isidore of Trinidad and Tobago vying for the vacant WBC CABOFE junior welterweight title at 140 pounds.
This fight became a reality after the former holder of the title, Barbados’ Miguel ‘Hands of Stone’ Antonie, surrendered the belt to fight for another title.
Starting the evening’s programme will be a fourround catchweight rematch between Kishan Simon and Patrick Boston, with the former looking to avenge the defeat he suffered in the first meeting. Gladwyn Dorway, with two knockouts in as many fights, will take on Troy Lewis in a four-round catchweight contest in the other fight of the night.
CABOFE Tale of the Tape Cruiserweight Braithwaite, 37, has been out of action since being knocked down thrice in the opening round by Barbados’ Shawn ‘The Sniper’ Cox at the WBC CABOFE Caribbean Cup Eliminator in February at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, and the upcoming bout will provide him with an opportunity of cashing in on the lucrative WBC Cup of Champions.
The cruiserweight division was recently added to the Cup of Champions, the WBC’s 50th anniversary event.
The Braithwaite/ Corbin encounter is a critical one for both boxers, who are seeking to get their careers back on the right path following unconvincing performances in their last journey to the ‘square jungle.’
Like Braithwaite, Corbin endured a knockout in his most recent fight, losing in round four of a scheduled 10-rounder to Polish Dawid Kostecki for the vacant WBC Baltic light heavyweight title in Warsaw, Holand. The 37-year-old Corbin has 14 wins with 10 knockouts, losing his other three fights within the distance.
Braithwaite, who celebrated his 37th birthday on August 9, won the vacant WBC cruiserweight title in 2002 with a 10th round TKO of Vincenzo Cantatore, but after three successful title defences and an unbeaten record at one time with 21-0, his career has gone downhill.
He has won just three of his last eight fights, with the most embarrassing of defeats coming against Cox earlier this year, when he was completely decimated by the massively built Bajan.
His record now stands at 24 victories (20 KOs) and five losses from 29 fights.
Meanwhile, the 26-year-old Dharry is fresh off a second round knockout of American Gabriel Cruz last month in Queens, New York, and will start the contest brimming with confidence.
However, his opponent Hedge has an impressive record, boasting seven wins, no losses and three draws.
Dharry’s record stands at 10-5-1.
The talented Atwell, who continued his unbeaten run with a polished win over Orlon Rogers on the ‘Invasion in the Park’ card on Saturday at Thirst Park, will enter the ring with loads of expectations after racking up a remarkable seven wins and one draw since turning professional. His rival, Isidore, boasts a similar record, with eight wins, one defeat and a draw from 10 outings.
A significant piece of statistics that Atwell’s camp might want to consider in their preparation is the fact that all of Isidore’s victories have come via the knock out route, the latest being against Guyanese Cassius Matthews in the opening round last September in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.