Boxers ready to set Sports Hall ablaze

Twelve boxers, 32 rounds, one ring. That just about sums up the S and S Promotions boxing card, dubbed `Heat Wave’ which is set to come crashing down on the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall tonight.

The headline act will be a 10-round catch weight fight between Leon the `Lion’ Gilkes and national middleweight champion Howard “Battersea Bomber” Eastman.
Both fighters came in at over the middleweight limit of 160 pounds with Gilkes weighing 169 pounds and Eastman 162.

In an invited comment the two fighters told Stabroek Sports last evening that they were healthy and ready for tonight’s showdown with Gilkes declaring that he was ready to roar.

READY FOR THE EXPLOSION! Leon `The Lion’ Gilkes, left, and Howard `Battersea Bomber’ Eastman square up at the Kings Plaza Hotel last night after the weigh-in. (Aubrey Crawford photo)

Eastman, a man with few words, said that even though he had not  trained with the knowledge that he would be fighting Gilkes, he was prepared to face Gilkes in the ring adding that his fans can expect nothing short of his best performance and victory.

In the lone female bout, Sharon Ward will step into the ring with Veronica Blackman in a six-round catch weight contest.

Ward of Linden will start as favourite after knocking out Blackman in a previous encounter. In the other bouts, Jermaine King will make his professional debut against  Cecil Smith in a four-round lightweight encounter, Eversly Brown will face Winston Pompey in a four round catch weight contest, Clyde Williams will battle Anthony Augustin in a four round catch weight fight and Patrick Boston will take on Kwesi Jones in a round-round junior middleweight contest.

Tickets are $700 for the stands and $1,500 ringside and are on sale at Kings Plaza Hotel on Main Street and at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.