By Avenash Ramzan
Guyanese who trek to the Giftland Mall will be exposed to another type of entertainment this evening, as the Guyana Boxing Board of Control stages “Hostile Territory”, the first professional boxing event of 2016.
Set to get cracking at 20:00hrs, the event is expected to attract a large turnout, just like or even better than the first event at the state-of-the-art mall last year.
Given the organisers’ propensity to replicate the Las Vegas boxing experience, one can look forward to another spectacular evening of boxing, complemented by the colourful lights and ring setting.
In the ‘square jungle’, United Stated of America-based Guyanese boxer, Elton ‘Coolie Bully’ Dharry, will trade punches with Venezuela’s Felix Machado in the main event.
The 43-year-old Machado is a former IBF Super Flyweight champion, and has a record of 26 wins and 13 losses, eight of which have come in his last nine fights.
Dharry’s record currently stands at 19 wins, 12 by way of knockout, five losses and one draw. He will enter the ring on the strength of a 16-bout winning streak, stretching way back to 2010.
The 10-round bantamweight showdown will serve as a warm-up for the 30-year-old Dharry ahead of a British Commonwealth fight on May 21.
The main supporting bout will also be a Guyana versus Venezuela thriller, as local boy Dexter Marques will face off with his neighbouring Spanish-speaking rival Freddie Beleno in a 10-round flyweight fight.
Marques, currently boasting six wins on the trot, has a record of 14 victories (5 KOs) and two defeats, while Beleno has 26 wins (15 KOs) and 10 losses, including seven in his last seven fights, dating back to 2008.
Kishawn Simon
Elton Dharry
Kishawn Simon will look for revenge against Cassius Matthews when the two meet in a rematch. The last time these two met was on Boxing Day 2013 in Linden, where Matthews earned a Split Decision win. A year later Simon suffered another loss, this time to Revlon Lake, and has not fought since.
With a record of two wins and three losses, Simon is now making a return to the sport, and said he is confident of topping Matthews, who had a record of five wins, eight losses and two draws. The six-round welterweight contest is being sponsored by Lewisons Automotive of Corentyne, Berbice.
In the other fights, Trinidad and Tobago-based Guyanese Revlon Lake will face Miguel Antoine of Barbados in an eight-round welterweight clash; Imran “Magic” Khan will meet Quincy Gomes in a 135 lbs all Guyanese contest; while Mandessa Moses will collide Anselle Norville in a four-round bantamweight.
Admission to the venue is $5,000 ringside and $2,000 outer ringside.
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