—Atwell highlights card with scintillating performance
By Emmerson Campbell
If there was one word to describe Clive ‘Wonder Kid’ Atwell’s performance against Trinidad and Tobago’s Prince Lee Isidore on the Guyana Boxing Board of Control’s Redemption Card Saturday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall that word would be annihilation.
In front of a large, boisterous crowd the undefeated ‘Wonder Kid’ scored a clinical but brutal 12th round TKO victory over Isidore to claim the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) junior welterweight title.
The national featherweight champion, Atwell, moving up in weight for the fight, stepped up to the plate from the first round and dished out several servings of leather that Isidore ate and digested.
Isidore would continue to eat Atwell’s gloves throughout the fight, so much so that he literally vomited in the ring after the bout ended.
Throughout the contest, the Dominica-based Atwell displayed superior speed and skill, landing head-snapping jabs and several combinations as Isidore just kept searching for a one punch knockout blow that never came.
Atwell, boxing and brawling in spurts, cornered Isidore on several occasions and punished him with several body and head shots that brought the crowd to its feet.
Like a true warrior however, Isidore rallied and made to the last round. Sensing that his opponent was hurt and exhausted, Atwell unleashed a series of head and body shots to the Trinidadian who crumpled to the canvas. Isidore would beat referee Ian Jardine’s mandatory count but when the fight continued he was just target practice, eating more leather from all angles from perhaps Guyana’s next world champion.
The time was 40 seconds of the final round when referee Jardine, put and end to the carnage of the night co-feature by waving off a punch-drunk, leather-filled Isidore.
Jardine made the right decision as Isidore could be seen vomiting on the canvas, probably from overeating Atwell’s leather that was dished out to him.
Doctors and cleaners were summoned to the ring as the Trinidadian sat on his stool bleeding and vomiting while Atwell posed for pictures with his championship belt.
The 23 year-old Atwell’s (who is arguably Guyana’s best pound-for-pond fighter at the moment) record improves to eight wins (four KO’s) and a draw while Isidore, who had won all of his eight fights by knockout, saw his record drop to eight wins (eight KO’s) two losses and a draw.
Meanwhile, in the feature event, former WBC World cruiserweight champion, Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite suffered his second consecutive defeat on home soil after he dropped a unanimous decision to Trinidad and Tobago based Guyanese, Sean Corbin in their bout for the vacant WBC CABOFE cruiserweight title.
In perhaps the last fight of his illustrious career, the 37-year-old Braithwaite, who was knocked out by Shawn Cox earlier this year, tried valiantly to land his home run left hand to put away Corbin but was instead counter punched throughout the fight by vicious left and hand right hands by his opponent.
The judges’ score cards read 113-114,111-116 and 111-116 all in favour of Corbin.
The Brooklyn, New-York based Braithwaite’s record now reads 24 wins (20 KO’s) and six losses. Corbin’s record stands at 15 wins (10 KO’s) and three losses.
In a post fight interview, ‘Big Truck’ said he still has some gas left in the tank and will continue to fight on. However, in an invited comment, one of his handlers stated that the Plaisance native should hang his gloves up.
Also improving his record was local and CABOFE middleweight champion, Edmond ‘Wonder Boy’ DeClou.
DeClou, who stopped Jermaine King in their bout two weeks ago, pounded out a lopsided, unanimous decision over young Berbician, Kelsie George.
At the end of the four-round affair which was dominated by the ‘Wonder Boy’, all three of the judges scorecards read, 40-35.
The ever improving DeClou’s record improves to 14 wins (three KO’s) and one loss. George is still winless in his five-fight career.
Also in the winner’s row were Dexter Marques and Sharon Ward.
Both Marques and Ward gained unanimous verdicts over their respective opponents Rudolph Fraser and Kwinda Rogers.
Before the feature bout, representatives of Digicel, rewarded two lucky ticket holders with a cell phone each.
Sponsors for the card which was staged by the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) included Guyoil, Courts,Digicel, Ansa McAL and Banks DIH Limited.
