“When he steps into the ring with me on the 28th February, it would be best for him if he walks with a pen and notepad instead of gloves, as he will be getting a boxing lesson from me.”
Those were the words of 55-year-old Cecil ‘Koker Dog’ Alfred who will engage Clifford ‘Piggy’ Griffith in a four-round catch weight encounter at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) on the S&S Promotions in conjunction with the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) card on that date.
In the main bout, Leon ‘The Lion’ Gilkes will go head-to-head with Lennox Allen in a middleweight eliminator while world-renowned pugilist Harold ‘Battersea Bomber’ Eastman will match gloves with Clyde Williams in another catch weight encounter.
A win for Eastman would see him facing Allen, with the winner expected to face former World Boxing Associa-tion middleweight champion William Joppy a little later in the year, right here in Guyana.
With a professional record of 1-1-1, coming off of a successful amateur record that reads 36-2, Alfred, whose daughter Shondell followed in his footsteps to become a pugilist, expressed lots of confidence for his upcoming bout to Stabroek Sport.
“I always wanted to fight ‘Piggy’ from way back when. He is the lone fighter from my time in the junior lightweight division that I have never matched gloves with. I feel comfortable going into this bout and I know I will come out victorious over him,” he added.
“I last fought six years ago and following that bout where I was victorious, I took a sabbatical from the ring and migrated to the United States of America (USA). I came home on a holiday and having never fought him before and being presented with the opportunity to do so, I accepted gleefully.”
Alfred was a member of Guyana’s 1976 Central and American Caribbean championships boxing team which went to Jamaica and won four bronze and one silver medal. But after winning his first two fights, he suffered a loss to eventual world champion Mike Mc Callum in his third fight.
On his return home, he joined the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and continued his amateur career, avenging two earlier losses to Winfield Braithwaite and Michael Reid respectively, before turning to the professional ranks in 1980.
His sojourn there was not a successful one as he drew his first fight with Lenny Somerset, had a no-contest decision in his next fight three years later against Leroy Lewis, before scoring a points decision on Dennis ‘Horse Cart’ Mc Kenzie one month later.
“Back in those days, promoters looked towards the promotion of more amateur cards than professional ones, that’s why I delayed my entrance into the professional arena. But despite such, Griffith will definitely be taught a boxing lesson on the night of February 28th.
“It will be a very good fight, but I will not be entering the ring to mix matters with him. He will be on the receiving end of things. I have been training hard for this encounter, as I have a point to prove.
We were to match gloves in a street encounter in 1983, but it never materialized and now that I am getting the opportunity to face him, he is in for a boxing tuition free of cost,” Alfred declared.
“I am in top shape for this bout. I am always training and keeping myself in shape and at the moment, I am doing road work early in the morning, followed by work on the bag at the Forgotten Youth Foundation gym in Albouystown.”
Alfred plans on taking another sabbatical after this bout, but will be ready for any challenger who wishes to match gloves with him.
“Most of the younger guys are not disciplined enough and I think I can get past any young fighter who wishes to match gloves with me. However, I will be taking another sabbatical from the ring after my victory over ‘Piggy’ Griffith but if any of the younger fighters need to challenge me, they can do so, as I am always ready.”
Cecil Smith and Jermaine King will meet in a four-round lightweight bout, Michael De Mattos and Eversley Browne will duel for six rounds in a middleweight encounter while Sharon Warde and Veronica Blackman will meet in a female catch-weight contest over six rounds.
