Like the last occasion when the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) promoted the Boxing Day showdown, the woman attracting the attention is explosive light-heavyweight Gwendoline ‘Stealth Bomber’ O’Neil.

The tough-talking Guyanese world-rater managed to divert attention from the Vincent Howard/Hugo Lewis clash when she fought Trinidadian Melissa Charles on Boxing Day, and has also grabbed the spotlight from Richard Howard and Learie Bruce for tomorrow’s clash with Charles’ manager Kim ‘Crusher’ Quashie.

As was the case in December, the two exchanged heated words from the start at yesterday’s press conference held at the Waterchris Hotel, with O’Neil - never short on words, promising to end the fight before the scheduled six rounds.

“Right now I moving up the ladder and I ain’t intend to come down. I just looking at Kim Crusher face and it reminds me of the punching bag in the gym which I does knock down.”

The catchweight contest would be the third meeting between the two with heavyweight Quashie winning the first, O’Neil’s debut fight, and the second ending in a no-contest after Quashie suffered a leg injury.

O’Neil’s fight with Charles also ended in controversy when the Guyanese was disqualified for biting - an experience O’Neil’s manager and husband, Eon Peters, described as traumatic for both of them.

Quashie for her part said being able to fight O’Neil in Guyana was a dream come true for her.

“My opponent has claimed that she knocked me out twice, so I want to come to give the Guyanese public a chance for her to knock me out again.

I’ll also have the doctor check me before to see I have no bite marks. When my baby girl (Charles) came here she said she came with bites and all that. I want to do that because I want a clean fight. I’m going to box her. I’m a boxer not a wrestler.”

The fight, the main supporting bout to the Howard/Bruce clash is scheduled for six bruising rounds, by the looks of it.

Lightweights Howard and Trinidadian Bruce were both quiet in comparison with the former, promising to go for a knockout as early as possible.

Howard’s coach George ‘Canchie’ Oprecht was more vocal, urging a manager to come forward for his charge whom he described as world-class material. He said fans would see good classical boxing from Howard whose legs were much stronger than in his last fight.

Bruce, like Howard, is coming off a long lay-off - almost two years he claims - but says he is in good enough condition to give a good account of himself in the 10-rounder.

The Trinidadian, no stranger to Guyana, having fought Hugo Lewis some time ago, boasts a record of 11 wins, eight defeats and two draws from 21 fights.

Also present at yesterday’s briefing was Shondell Thomas who meets another Trinidadian Ria Ramnarine in an eight-round flyweight affair. The Guyanese, who lost the first meeting in December, promised to end the fight early this time around.

“I’m not taking Ria the distance. I got the power and I know what I have to do.”

Ramnarine who was expected in the country later in the day, missed the briefing.

The card also features three other bouts with talented bantamweight Leon Moore taking on Linden Arthur over six rounds; lightweight Earl Deane meeting Dexter Breedy in an eight-rounder; and undefeated welterweight Rodney Tappin tackling Charwayne Benjamin over four rounds.

The GBBC also took the opportunity to launch their quarterly magazine Boxing KO, which will be on sale tomorrow night.

Copies were presented to Guyana’s first Olympic Games medallist Michael Parris, who won a bronze in Moscow in 1980; to Trinidadian Fitzroy Richards for his contribution to boxing in the Caribbean; to Oprecht and promoter Herman Harris.