By Marlon Munroe
COURTS Guyana Inc. in continuing as a good corporate citizen punched $400,000 into the Guyana Boxing Board of Control’s (GBBC) ‘Caribbean Fury’ scheduled for the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) on September 26.
Yesterday at the company’s head office on Main Street, Purchasing Director and Country Manager (ag) Clyde de Haas handed over the cheque to President of the GBBC Peter Abdool with the promise of continued support for the sport. He also pointed out that Guyana has world class talent and that was the company’s reason for coming on board.
Abdool in his brief statement stated that with the international exposure and the calibre of boxers on the card, Guyana will be the eventual winner.
In addition, the fight will be transmitted through the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) and a North American network that will be announced later, according to a press release sent by Holland’s Entertainment owner and promoter, Carwyn Holland.
The six-fight card will feature National Bantamweight champion Shondell ‘Mystery Lady’ Alfred fighting Canadian, with Guyanese parentage, Corinne ‘Sexy Panther’ De Groot for the vacant Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA) bantamweight world title.
National bantamweight champion and former World Boxing Council (WBC) number seven fighter Leon ‘Hurry Up’ Moore will be matching gloves with former five-time world champion (IBF, WBO and IBA) Mauricio Pastrana in the main supporting bout.
‘Mystery Lady’ Alfred, who last fought in a bloodbath to retain her bantamweight title, boasts a record of 15 fights with 10 wins and five losses. The orthodox fighter is a boxer puncher with her overhead right punch being her main weapon. However, she does not cover the ring the way she ought to.
And with the virtually unknown De Groot, who is a stuntwoman and an American gladiator by profession, the 27-year-old Alfred will have to work on her flaws in the gym by fight night. De Groot, who is unbeaten in 10 bouts, is rated number four by the International Women’s Boxing Federation (IWBF), number four by the International Female Boxers Association (IFBA) and number two by WIBA and the Women’s Boxing Page website.
The ‘Caribbean Fury’ will also see ‘The Battersea Bomber’ Howard Eastman, former European champion and national middleweight champion, in action against Trinidad & Tobago’s (T&T) and World Boxing Empire (WBE) Champion Kevin Placid who is a police officer in his homeland. Guyana’s heavyweight champion Mitchell Rogers will also be in action against an opponent that has not yet been named.
The rest of the undercard will also see the talented Dexter Marques, Guyana’s former bantamweight champion, doing battle with Hewley Robertson and national welterweight champion Iwan Azore going against the stubborn Wayne Briggs whilst the promising Paul Lewis Jr., after a brief hiatus from the sport, will challenge Shawn Pile.
