NEW SOUTH WALES, Australia, CMC – Guyana’s former International Boxing Federation (IBF) super featherweight champion Gairy St Clair has announced his retirement from the sport.
Australia-based St Clair has lost four of his last five bouts and declared in a Fightnews web site story that he has “officially retired as a boxer”.
The 34-year-old was stopped for the first time in his career when the world-rated Jackson Asiku defeated him on a ninth-round technical knockout in late April.
“I had a very good career, boxed several world champions and was world champion in 2006 after beating Cassius Baloyi in South Africa,” said St Clair, who terminates his career with a record of 41 wins (18 knockouts) against 10 losses and two draws.
He plans to continue in the sport as a trainer.
St Clair’s biggest achievement was winning the IBF 130-pound world title on July 29, 2006 when he defeated Baloyi on a unanimous decision in Gauteng, South Africa.
St Clair held the title for only three months, losing his first title defence to South African Malcolm Klassen.
In his biggest outing since his title loss, St Clair moved up in weight class to challenge the outstanding Briton Amir Khan for the Commonwealth lightweight title and lost on points in February last year.
St Clair has been living in Australia for the past eight years.
He had gone to Australia in 2001 for sparring partner duties and remained there. He is married to an Australian and is the fourth Guyanese boxer to win a world title, after Andrew Lewis, Wayne Braithwaite and Vivian Harris.
