World champion makes statement for Caribbean fighters
NEW YORK, USA (CANA) - Guyana's new World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight champion Andrew `Six Heads' Lewis believes his title success makes a statement for Caribbean fighters.
The undefeated Lewis impressively stopped American James Page in seven rounds Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to claim the vacant WBA crown and a purse of US$200 000.
He believes denting the proliferation North American and European champions as a US-based Caribbean boxer is important.
"They feel that they alone must dominate and no Caribbean people must win titles," Lewis said on the CANASport radio programme yesterday.
"But the harder you train and the talent you got, you've got to put it out there and you will win the world title," he said in a telephone interview from his home in New York.
"I feel good, I feel proud because Guyana never won a world title and I said I just wanted to do it for my country, I know I had the talent (to do it), I had the killer instinct, I've got everything, the full package," he told CANA.
Lewis, 30, improved his record to 20-0 with 19 knockouts. At least nine times before, Guyanese fighters had battled for world titles and lost, including Patrick Ford who was beaten twice, first by the legendary Mexican Salvador Sanchez and then by Eusebio Pedroza.
Terrence Alli, the best rated of all Guyanese boxers, was knocked out by Harry Arroyo when well ahead on points. He also suffered defeats at the hands of Mexican greats Julio Cesar Chavez and Jose Luis Ramirez.
"Dem guys just had bad luck not winning the title," Lewis said, respecting the efforts of his colleagues who had lost world title fights before.
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