Great show expected

By Avenash Ramzan 

With four days to go before the historic staging of the World Boxing Council’s (WBC) Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) Caribbean Cup Eliminators, the participating overseas boxers have began to arrive in Guyana for the five-fight title card at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall in Georgetown.

A source close to the Guyana Boxing Board of Control told this publication that Guyana’s former world champion, Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite, and the Barbados trio of Revlon Lake, Shawn Cox and Miguel Antoine are scheduled to touch down today (Wednesday).

United States of America-based Guyanese, Elton Dharry, is expected in early tomorrow morning; while Kevin Placide of Trinidad and Tobago and Selwyn Lett of Barbados are due to arrive on Friday, in time for the pre-fight press conference and official weigh-in in the evening.

Guyana’s Super Middleweight champion, Lennox ‘Too Sharp’ Allen, should have arrived in the country yesterday to witness the five title fights, which are being held in celebration of the WBC’s 50th anniversary.

The card will headlined ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite, against Cox of Barbados for the Heavyweight title, while Guyana’s Middleweight champion Edmond De Clou will take on Placide for the Middleweight belt.

The Bajan pair, Lake and Antoine, will clash for the Super Lightweight title, while ‘Coolie Bully’ Dharry will put his CABOFE Bantamweight title on the line against Lett, and local boys Dexter ‘The Kid’ Marques and Orlon ‘Pocket Rocket’ Rogers will tussle for the Flyweight belt.

In the feature contest, the 37-year-old Braithwaite will return to Guyana for his first bout since July 1998 when he knocked out fellow countryman Wayne Harris in round seven of a 12-rounder to lift the national Heavyweight title.

The southpaw, who had an unbeaten record after 21 fights, has tasted victory in 24 of his 28 encounters, with 20 coming within the distance. The six-footer now campaigns in the United States of America, and his last fight was in March 2010 when he knocked out Adam Harris of the USA in the opening round of an eight-round contest at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut.

Braithwaite’s four defeats have come against big names in boxing, including Jean-Marc Mormeck, Guillermo Jones, Enzo Maccarinelli, and Steve Cunningham.

His opponent, Cox, is also 37, but has tasted defeat only once in his 15-fight career.

Nicknamed ‘The Sniper’, Cox has enjoyed tremendous success against Guyanese boxers, defeating Winston Pompey, Leon ‘The Lion’ Gilkes twice, Anthony Augustin and Kurt Bess.

Fourteen of his victories have come via knockout with only Gilkes and Salvatore Erittu, against whom he suffered his lone defeat, taking him the distance.