Boxing Title Fights

Angola's national team boxer, Pedro Manuel, missed Saturday night's fighting in the category of 64 kilograms of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) games, Angop learned.

The player did not turn up to the competition venue following a medical advise. "Mateus has signs of unstable and hereditary hypertension, said doctor Stela, with the National Team.

The athlete was to play Saturday night, at Katutura school, in Windhoek, Namibia.

Due to this situation, Angola is to use Kilombo Masala (54) and Mudicai Muacazanga (57). The former beat a Botswana opponent, whereas Muacazanga is to fight another from Lesotho, on Monday.

Lightweight Elizabeth Burke, who defeated Sherry Branch of the Cayman Islands after two eight-counts in the first round, was named “Best Female Boxer” of the championships.

Kern Sinnette, the son of former Caribbean Amateur champion Kirt Sinnette, now a professional, was named “Best Cadet”. He won his two fights in the division for Under-13 boxers.

Light welterweight Chad Brathwaite, who defeated Anglio Gilles of Martinique for the Novices title behind three eight-count in the second round, was named “Best Novice” .

Barbados’ 32-member boxing contingent won the overall team title. They accumulated 33 points as their senior and junior boxers won three gold medals in addition to three silver.

Barbados also topped the seniors category with 25 points, two more than Guyana who also won three gold medals.

They were six points better than hosts Trinidad and Tobago who finished with 19 points from their 31-member team.

Despite winning 16 medals, the most of the championships, points were only given for juniors and seniors.

In the junior category, the United States Virgin Islands came first with 10 points followed by Barbados (8), Guyana (7) and Bahamas (6).

Guyana were second overall with 30 points and Trinidad and Tobago third with 24.

Jamaica secured the two awards through Nicholas Walters, who was named “Best Senior’ boxer and “Boxer of the Championship”.

Walter is the reigning featherweight champion in the seniors category following his comfortable 11-3 victory over Paul Lewis of Guyana.

John Jackson of the USVI, who stopped Keithland King of Barbados at four seconds of the fourth round when the referee stopped their welterweight contest, was named “Best Junior’ boxer.



Final Points Standings:

SENIORS: Barbados (25), Guyana (23), TT (19), Jamaica (12), USVI (9), Bahamas (8), Aruba (6), Martinique (2), Cayman Islands (2), Dominica (2), Grenada (1), St Maarten (1), Bermuda, Guadeloupe, St Vincent & the Grenadines, St Lucia (0).

JUNORS: USVI (10), Barbados (8), Guyana (7), Bahamas (6), Martinique (6), Guadeloupe (5), TT (5), St Lucia (4), Jamaica (3), St Maarten (2), Aruba, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, St Vincent & The Grenadines.

OVERALL: Barbados (33), Guyana (30), T&T (24), USVI (19), Bahamas (16), Jamaica (14), Martinique (8), Aruba (6), Guadeloupe (5), St Maarten (3), Cayman Islands (2), Dominica (2), Grenada (1), St Vincent & The Grenadines, St Lucia

Lou DiBella, Harvard Law School graduate, former HBO boxing czar and promoter of middleweight champion Jermain Taylor, chose interesting verbiage to assure television executives Saturday's fights at Little River Casino Resort would be competitive.

"I told Showtime that it wasn't going to be cowboys and Indians," he said.

Evidently not, given the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians' delight with its first foray into live televised boxing.

The casino hosted three club shows before Saturday's tent-covered event on its parking lot, beginning in November 2005 with the first casino-hosted professional boxing card on the Lower Peninsula since 2002 at Soaring Eagle Casino in Mount Pleasant.

The tribal boxing commission expects to gain certification this week from the Association of Boxing Commissions. And construction is under way on a 1,500-seat venue, opening next spring, for boxing and other high-end entertainment.

"Boxing has been successful for us, and we're going to continue to do it," said casino general manager Jim LaPorte. "I think it's important for us to have this kind of event come here. It shows we can offer something different to people, we can bring in larger events, and we can pull them off."

Fighters groused about being flown into Detroit, then bused five hours each way.

Otherwise, there were few complaints after about 800 fans saw "Night of the Rising Sons" produce three victories by the favorites -- heavyweight Chazz Witherspoon and middleweights Ronald Hearns and James McGirt Jr. -- and a new major player in Michigan boxing.

"It wasn't like any economic score coming here," DiBella said, "but it's nice to establish a new relationship with a new venue. This can be a good area for boxing. It was a great crowd, and I thought they did a professional job on a nationally televised show. I think they should be proud."