Salandy retains boxing crown

TRINIDAD and Tobago’s Giselle Salandy outboxed and outclassed Paola Rojas of Colombia on Friday night to retain her Ibero-Latin American junior welterweight boxing championship by an unanimous decision.

Showing no effects of more than a year of inactivity awaiting a professional boxer’s licence to fight legally in her homeland, Salandy dictated the pace in the eight-round contest and was a popular winner at the Central Indoor Sports Complex in Chaguanas. The three judges — George St Aude, Stanley Chimmings and McKenzie Granger — scored the fight 80-72, 80-72 and 80-73 in favour of the Siparia teenager. Showing superior fitness, quick reflexes and great confidence, Salandy took the attack to her older opponent repeatedly scoring points with stinging left and right combinations which brought roars of delight from the close to 300 die-hard boxing fans present.

Throughout the contest, promoted by Cecil Forde, Rojas, who had difficulty making the 140-pound limit at the weight-in on Friday, was put on the defensive. Giving up a height and reach advantage to Salandy, the short stocky Rojas occasionally showed aggressive intent but it was late in the bout and her tactics of a late offensive were often cut short by the bell. The fight was not without its share of controversy as there was a delay of more than 20 minutes as fans anxiously awaited the arrival of the boxers in the ring for the re-match of the title fight of more than a year ago in Curacao when Salandy defeated Rojas on points. The delay was caused when Buxo Potts, who has been assisting the Rojas camp since their arrival here last Monday refused to allow the boxer to enter the ring first.

Potts, an international match-maker insisted that Salandy go first claiming that it was a “vacant title” at stake and that the host boxer must go out ahead of her opponent. However, after a timely intervention by Melchoir Taylor, chairman of the Boxing Board of Control and his fellow board members Molly Boxhill and George Hadeed, Potts was persuaded to let Rojas take the ring first. But once the bell sounded she faced an uphill task to wrest the initiative of her younger, fleet-footed opponent who, despite being warned by referee Tommy Thomas for butting on two occasions, did enough to keep the belt. Earlier Potts was involved into another controversy when he loudly protested the result of the four-round contest between Vicki Boodram of Trinidad and Tobago and Guyanese Stephanie Forde.

After a bruising battle Forde was adjudged winner by an unanimous points verdict — 39-38, 39-35, 40-37 by judges St Aude, Chimmings and Granger. However this was met with loud howls of protest by promoter Forde and Potts. Both men approached the Officials’ Table and upbraided Boxing Board member Molly Boxhill about the “unfair” decision. Fans looked on in shock as Boxing Board chairman Taylor sought to restore order advising the men to lodge an official complaint if they felt aggrieved. However he warned that the Boxing Board can entertain the appeal but could not overturn the judges’ decision further infuriating Potts.

Boodram, a former champion kickboxer looked an improved fighter from her previous fight several months ago but could not make any impression on the Guyanese  Forde who, once she got the measure of her opponent, went to work in a methodical manner. Forde landed more punches and defended well enough to come away the winner, a decision that was accepted by a clear majority of the fans present. In one of the more entertaining professional fights of the night, Waldron Brooks gave a courageous display in a junior welterweight contest against Ulric Johnson but lost on a unanimous points decision. Brooks was knocked down and slipped on several occasions but took the fight to Johnson who pummelled his opponent with solid left and right combinations and earned the judges’ nod — 60-55, 60-54, 59-55.

In the other professional bout on the card Craig Storm (128 1/2) defeated Michael Agard (128)  on technical knockout when the referee stopped the fight one second into the third round. The two amateur scraps on the card resulted in a win for former Central American and Caribbean Championships gold medallist Kirt Sinnette (165 lbs) against Richard Straker (166 lbs) 3-0; and Jamila James (124lbs) of Cosmic who defeated Donaline Andrews (138) 3-0.