World title beckons Salandy

OFFERS of two world title fights have been made to Siparia teenaged schoolgirl Giselle Salandy. However concerns have been expressed that the 16-year-old Salandy, holder of the Ibero-Latin American welterweight boxing championship would not be able to take up the offers. The fears have been expressed by international match-maker Buxo Potts who said he hopes to stage the fights in Bermuda and Curacao. However he must first reach an agreement with Curtis Joseph, the new manager of Salandy who so far has not shown any interest in getting Salandy back in the ring. Potts said yesterday he was rebuffed earlier this week when he approached Joseph at a function at the Tigers Boxing Gym in Port-of-Spain to honour Kertson Manswell, silver medallist at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo.
  
Potts said he left hurt and dejected at the response to his offers by Joseph and urged the  manager/trainer to change his attitude or risk throwing the career of Salandy down the drain. “I was disappointed at his behaviour. In his business you cannot be ruled by your emotions. You must be level-headed and think things out very closely,” said Potts. He said whatever has happened in the past to sour the relationship between himself and Joseph, the future of Salandy should transcend the bitterness and rancour. “Whatever Joseph feels, he must come to the table and talk with me. I am the only recognised international matchmaker in Trinidad and Tobago and offers will come to me. He must understand this,” said an angry Potts. The former jockey, who insists he was party to the promotion of Salandy’s Ibero-Latin American title fight last December in Curacao against Colombian Paola Rojas, maintains he still has the welfare of the female boxer at heart.

Currently she is prevented from fighting professionally in the local ring since she has not reached the age of 17 when she can legally obtain a Trnidad and Tobago boxing Board of Control licence to fight. In the interim she has been training and attending school. It was also recently announced by minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Roger Boynes that she will receive assistance from Government to concentrate on both of these disclipines. Potts was high in praise of Government for reaching out to both Manswell and Salandy. The Tobago-born Manswell has been given a National Housing Authority (NHA) house in Morvant and a job with the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs so he can help pay for it.

Potts however warned that Salandy must be instilled with the right values and taught respect for her elders if she is to benefit from the wholesome development that the asistsnce seeks to foster. “Her handlers must talk to her seriously and point the way for her to fully understand all the issues that have been swirling around her. She must be made to grasp in an objective manner all that has happened and not get her mind poisoned,” said Potts. Potts confirmed that he was detained and questioned by Police officers on Wednesday concerning a cellular phone he had sold to a woman who was found dead some time ago in the Curepe district. Potts was cleared of any involvement in the matter.