From Isaiah Chappelle in New York
Guyana Chronicle
May 5, 2001

AFTER one big and successful fight for Guyana, the countdown is now on for another possible world title for Guyana when Raul Frank takes on American Vernon Forrest for the vacant International Boxing Federation welterweight title at the Madison Square Garden next Saturday night.

The fight follows exactly two weeks after Guyana's first World title holder, Andrew `Sixhead' Lewis successfully defended the World Boxing Association welterweight title, just a stone's throw away from Madison, at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan Centre Hotel.

This card promises to be a glitzy night of intense action because Puerto Rican Felix `Tito' Trinidad and American William Joppy battle for the WBA middleweight title; and former World champion Chris Byrd meets Maurice Harris in an IBF elimination tussle which will also give the winner the United States Boxing Association heavyweight crown.

A female bout between Christy `the Coal Miner's Daughter' Martin and Kathy `the Wildcat' Collins, is also included on the card.

Frank goes into the ring with a professional record of just 23 fights with three losses and one draw for the IBF belt which Trinidad gave up as he moved up to the middleweight division.

Forrest has a knockout record which is greater than the number of fights Frank has had. The American is undefeated in 31 fights, 25 of which ended in knockouts.

Frank still goes in this fight as the number one contender in the IBF ranking, with Forrest as number two.

Fighting out of Brooklyn, Frank hold the USBA belt and has not lost a fight since moving to New York in 1995.

His fight for the USBA crown was deemed "most memorable" when he beat the previously undefeated Purcell Miller on October 10, 1997.

Although Frank's march to a world title shot has been regarded as long and hard, the Guyanese has shown the resilience to reach this far which should serve him well in this second title shot.

Forrest has put away five of his last 15 opponents in the first round and stopped eight others. And some of his victims have been respected contenders - Steven Martinez, Adrian Stone, Jaime Lerma and Pedro Saiz.

The American has also waited a long time for a world title crack.

Frank and Forrest already met nine months ago, on August 26, in Las Vegas in world title shot. But the fight ended with a head-butt in the third round.

Frank could not continue and fight was ruled a "no contest." The butt was ruled an accidental one, occurring one minute 45 seconds into the round.

The Guyanese is now training in Florida for this second showdown with Forrest. Tickets for this card are priced at US$750, $500, $300, $200, $100 and $50.