By Emmerson Campbell
Three grade ones, three grade twos, four grade threes and a grade four – those are the CXC grades of 22- year-old Kishawn Simon who will be making his professional boxing debut on the 25th edition of the Guyana Fight Night Pro Am card at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on July 27.
Simon, the Berbice High School graduate, will be matching gloves with 42-year-old Patrick Boston in a four-round catchweight fight.
In the sport of boxing, especially locally, it is a rarity to find a boxer with a fistful of CXC subjects, much more two fistfuls and then some.
Stabroek Sport caught up with the Rose Hall resident at the Pocket Rocket gym to get an insight on why he chose boxing as a career, how he started boxing and his dreams for the fistic sport.
“Boxing is a sport I always liked as a kid growing up,” Simon said during the interview.
“When I saw boxing on television I wanted to do it and when Howard came back (former European middleweight champion and Berbice resident Howard ‘Battersea Bomber’ Eastman) I actually had a chance to live that dream and from the day I went to the gym I wanted to go pro. With him coming here I had a chance to train and stuff, he gave me my first pair of gloves and all that.”
Simon who graduated with honours in the science stream stated that he also had ambitions of being a chemical engineer or a zoologist but having strictly science subjects makes it hard for him to have a well paid job in the Ancient County.
“Actually it is hard to get a good job that asks for strictly science subjects, whenever you go for a job most of the business places ask you if you have accounts and other business subjects. I never did accounts after the third form; I didn’t do it at the CXC level.”
Simon, who is training twice per day for his debut encounter, said that boxing is a science and that in order to make it in the world rankings, which he has ambitions of doing, a boxer has to use his brain.
Said Simon: “Anyhow you put it boxing is all about thinking too, you have the Klitchkos (World Heavyweight champions from Ukraine ,brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitchko ) one of them has a doctorate, you have Juan Diaz he is studying to be a lawyer, so they have many educated boxers out there.”
He continued: “I want to get to the world level, I want to make it in the top 10 pound for pound fighters and that can only happen if you use your brain.”
The Pocket Rocket Gym product, who had a decent amateur career, described himself as a counter puncher, exuded confidence ahead of his ring date with Boston who has lost all three of his professional fights.
“I heard that he (Boston) likes to swing but I’m prepared for anything, I like to box and I like to brawl sometimes but brawling isn’t good for me right now because I’m now starting my career and if you look how brawlers end up I don’t want to end up like them I like to counterpunch that’s my thing but once I go in there and box I will have my first of many victories.”
Simon also intimated that he will continue studying and boxing simultaneously and also maintained that he did not turn pro because of the financial aspect of the sport, but just to live his dream.
Will Simon be as successful in his debut bout as he was at CXC? The answer will be known on July 27.
Meanwhile the card will be headlined by national featherweight champion Dominica-based Guyanese Clive Wonder’ Kid’ Atwell and national lightweight champion Barbados-based Revlon Lake/.
Atwell and Lake will be matching gloves in a junior lightweight (130 pounds) eight-round affair.
The undercard will feature another Pocket Rocket Boxing gym product, bantamweight Richard Williamson, who will also be making his professional debut.
Williamson, who had an outstanding amateur career which included winning a silver medal at the Ronald Wilson Memorial Tournament last year in Barbados, will match gloves with another debutant Dillon Allicock. This matchup is also scheduled for four rounds.
Gladwin Dorway who won his debut bout last month by stopping David Thomas in the second round will also feature on the undercard. Dorway will face Anson Green who also won his debut fight against Thomas in a four- round junior welterweight affair.
The names of the boxers who will make up the amateur segment of the card will be announced subsequently.
The monthly card is an initiative of the GBBC in collaboration with the Sports Ministry and the National Communications Network (NCN).
Sponsors of the event include Digicel, Giftland Office Max, Courts, Banks DIH Limited and ANSA McAL.
Admission is $1,000 while children will be asked to pay half price. Bell time is 20:00 hrs.
