Hurricane' Hugo Lewis destroyed Vincent Howard in nine blistering rounds before an almost capacity crowd to capture the junior-lightweight boxing title of Guyana, in a card of non stop action at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Wednesday night.Howard the defending champion could not answer the bell for the 10th round, forcing referee Eion Jardine to award Lewis a TKO victory.In the main supporting bout, Trinidad and Tobago's Ria Ramnarine scored a split decision over Guyana's Shaundel Thomas in their eight-round flyweight women's contest.Another Trinidadian, Melissa Charles, won her catch-weight bout against Guyana's self proclaimed Caribbean champion Gwendolyn O'Neil by way of disqualification, when O'Neil was caught biting her opponent, by referee Harold Duncan.However, Guyana's 'Mystery Lady' Shondell Alfred proved that she is unbeatable in her weight division by stopping her Trinidadian opponent, Adanna Francis, at 54 seconds of the first round after administering two telling combinations of six and four punches respectively to her opponent's head.Keith 'Crusher' Thomas made a welcome return to the ring with a unanimous points decision over Dexter Breedy in their junior welterweight bout over six rounds while Mark 'Pit Bull' Dummett gained revenge with an unanimous points decision over Orlando Rogers in their four-round bantamweight contest.And knockout specialist Denny Dalton ended another fight within the distance by stopping Troy Lewis at one minute 21 seconds of the sixth and final round.

But it was the main bout which brought the crowd to its feet from as early as the second round and it built up into the main attraction it was expected to be.After feeling out each other in the first round and exchanging combinations in the second, Lewis began pummeling Howard in the third, causing him to hold on for all his worth. It was evident that the `Hurricane' was out to destroy everything in its path as he landed several telling combinations to the head and body of Howard who failed to weather the storm.The storm got worse in the sixth round as Lewis registered vicious combinations to the body, but the champion managed to land a few of his own, bringing the crowd to its feet.

As the action got hotter, both fighters were urged on by the vociferous crowd in the seventh round, when Howard started to lunge forward with left digs to the body and over hand rights to the head of Lewis who concentrated on using the left jab and left hooks. The fighters went at each other hammer and tongs in the eighth round from close range and in the process Lewis caught Howard with an overhand right, sending him wobbling. Lewis followed up with more combinations, but in the latter stages Howard retaliated with an overhand right of his own.The pattern was the same in the ninth round and it was surprising to everyone including Lewis' supporters when the champion called it a day during the rest period between the ninth and tenth rounds.After the bout, Howard complained that his right eye was burning him and claimed that Lewis had smelling salts on his skin.Asked if he wants a rematch, Howard said not in a hurry.

At the time of the stoppage, Lewis led on all three score cards 86-85, 87-84 and 88-85In the featherweight bout between Alfred and Francis, Alfred delivered a six-punch barrage to Francis' head to influence referee Harold Duncan to administer the eight count. Francis then received another four-punch combination and backed against the ropes, Alfred stormed her opponent and released another flurry to the head before Duncan called a halt to the one sided affair.

After the bout Alfred told Stabroek Sport that it was the easiest fight of her career (seven fights) and stated, "I now want to go to New York for bigger fights, tougher opponents and better pay days like `Sixheads'. Alfred declared. The Dalton versus Lewis affair was a gem but the superior power and strength of the former made the difference.Both fighters went at each other from round one with crisp combinations before Dalton caught his opponent with a glancing left hook to his head, sending him to the canvas for the eighth count. As Lewis got up, Dalton stormed him and landed a left-right combination to his head, to end the fight.

The night's proceedings was witnessed by British and Commonwealth middleweight champion, Guyana-born Howard Eastman, who was the patron of the card.In an invited comment, Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) president K. D. Persaud told Stabroek Sport that O'Neil will be warned for her consistent biting tactics.According to Persaud, O'Neil had bitten Margaret `Chico' Walcott when they met earlier in the year, and on Wednesday night, she bit Charles three times.Doctors Carl `Max' Hanoman and Dennis Dookhan inspected the areas where Charles said she was bitten and confirmed that they were indeed teeth marks.Charles was bitten on the inside of her arm, on her neck and just above her breast.