Ramnarine accepts challenge to fight Guyanese

REGIONAL women’s flyweight boxing champion Ria Ramnarine will be back in the ring before the end of the year. This possibility emerged over the weekend when the petite boxer accepted a challenge to match gloves with Guyanese Shondell Alfred, newly crowned Iberian/ American Bantamweight champion. The offer was made by match-maker Buxo Potts acting on behalf of the Georgetown secretary who pounded Trinidad and Tobago’s Vicky Boodram two weeks ago to win the vacant 118-pound championship. And in an immediate response Bharath Ramoutar, manager/coach of Ramnarine said he welcomed the challenge “once certain terms and conditions are met” obviously referring to the purse and venue for the bout.

Ramnarine, a Plant Process Operator who now works in the office of a Chaguanas construction company is the Women’s International boxing Association Iberian-American Mini-Flyweight (105-pound) title-holder. She captured the crown last July 31 with an unanimous points decision against American Deidre Hamaguchi in a bruising battle at the Central Regional Indoor Auditorium in Chaguanas. Since then she has not fought but is confident that she can improve on her record of five victories in her eight professional fights to date. Alfred will have to drop at least four pounds for the bout.

Yesterday Potts said he was very pleased to learn of the Ramnarine’s acceptance and promised to work feverishly to hammer out the details to make the contest a reality. “I see no problem in getting Alfred down to Ramnarine’s weight. She will be fighting at her natural weight and she will win,” said Potts. But Bharath, who operates the Fine Line Gym in Montrose, Chaguanas, boasted that he has no doubt that his charge will be victorious. “Pound for pound, Ria is the better fighter and we can settle this once and for all,” Ramoutar said. He said it will be the perfect opportunity for Potts to “put his money where his mouth is” and criticised the controversial former jockey for issuing the challenge to Ramnarine through the media. “It is in bad taste that a reputable mis-matcher like Potts had to resort to making contact and issuing challenges beforehand through the media,” said Ramoutar.

“He knows where my gym/office is located and he has my telephone number,” he said. Bharath said that Mau Pau Private Members Club of Ariapita Avenue, Port-of-Spain had approved the acceptance of the challenge to fight and were also confident that the Carapichaima native would once again do her country proud. “We invested in a winner. She is a champion in the truest sense of the word and she will not back down from anyone,” said Sherry Persad, Mau Pau’s Public Relations Officer. Co-trained by bank official Darren Vidale, Ramnarine yesterday said she has been training and will be in perfect shape for the bout against Alfred. The Mudlander showed she is a tough customer with a dominating performance against Boodram, dubbed the “Princes Town Tigress.”