Terence Ali National Open Boxing C/Ships…Allicock qualifies for finals on opening night

Nov 30, 2017 Sports, https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...ls-on-opening-night/

Event concludes tonight

By Sean Devers
Despite a late start of an hour and 17 minutes which has now become the norm at most Events locally, Keevin Allicock and Jamal Eastman produced three rounds of entertaining Boxing in the Bantamweight Semi-final on the opening night of the Terrence Ali National Open Boxing Championships at the National Gymnasium on Tuesday.
Allicock gained a unanimous verdict over Eastman in the night’s feature bout which was watched by a crowd that included Guyana’s only Olympic Medalist Boxer, Mike Parris, who won Bronze at 1980 Olympics in Moscow, and the Region one Team which is participating in Swimming and Track and Field at the National School’s Championships which concludes tomorrow.
Fighting in 56KGS weight category, Allicock, representing Forgotten Youth Foundation (FYF) began the first round at a hectic pace and forced Eastman, from Rose Hall Jammers, backwards in the opening seconds.
Allicock used his superior speed to land some stinging jabs and focused on body shots during the initial stages of the fight and although the slightly taller fighter from Berbice, fought back gamely with jabs of his own, Allicock was slightly ahead at the end of the first Stanza.
Allicock kept pushing forward but Eastman retaliated with a couple of good combinations, even as Allicock backed his man up on the ropes.
A double Jab was followed by a clinically executed straight right to the head and Eastman was hurt, resulting in Ramona Agard, the first Guyanese Referee to be selected to officiate in the South American Youth Games, administering a standing eight count.
Allicock picked up the pace in the final round and threw punches in bunches against a tiring Eastman to become the first pugilist to waltz in the finals from the opening night.
Another contest that caught the eye was the one between 11 year-olds Sean Graham, fighting out of the FYF and the slightly smaller Joshua Tamambaram from the Rose Hall Jammers Gym in Region six.
The pint-sized Boxers demonstrated good technique and promising skill but Graham landed the harder punches and won by a majority decision.
In the night’s first fight, Jaquin Milo (FYF) was too hot for Jamar Mercier from Young Achievers, who despite trading blows with Milo, lost by a split decision.
The fight between the RHJ pair of Francis Sukhu and Raphael Sebastian proved to be a slug fest with both fighters coming from their corners in attacking mode.
But as the fight progressed it was the taller Sukhu who began to dominate as both Boxers threw a flurry of mighty swings but few of them made any meaningful contact and their energised style took its toll in the last round as both Berbicians ran out of Gas. Sukhu did enough to win the favour of all the judges.
Mark Blake from the GDF Boxing Gym used his longer reached to good effect which some crisp jabs to the face of fellow Solider Julius Bobb to gain a unanimous verdict, while in an all Young Achievers affair which lacked intensity, Emmanuel Pompey got the better of Malcolm Williams on a majority decision.
The second night of the three night event was scheduled for last night and is being used by the Guyana Boxing Association to select the Guyana team for next month’s Caribbean Boxing Championship in St Lucia.
The tournament will conclude tonight at the Gymnasium with the various finals which would determine the champions in the respective categories and also the top gym on show over the three nights. The GDF gym is the defending champs.