O'Neil squashes Quashie
By Steve Ninvalle
Stabroek News
May 6, 2002
As world rated female light heavyweight boxer Gwendolyn `The Stealth Bomber' O'Neil kept her promise and finished her Trinidadian opponent Kim `Bone Crusher' Quashie inside two rounds at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall Saturday night.
In front of a fair sized crowd O'Neil unleashed a barrage of punches in the second round of the scheduled six-round catch weight event forcing the Trinidadian's corner to throw in the towel with one minute 40 seconds gone.
"God gave me the strength and skills to do the work. She was scared of me and the punches. I'm just sorry that I didn't get to floor her," a jubilant O'Neil told Stabroek Sport after the victory.
The two giants locked horns from the opening round endorsing their genuine dislike for each other. The 245-pound Quashie opted to wait for her taller opponent to attack as the partisan crowd chanted "O'Neil, O'Neil."
The Trinidadian almost straightened the curls in O'Neil's hair when midway into the first stanza, she connected with a big right hook which originated in Crabwood Creek.
However, `The Stealth Bomber', at a 60 pound disadvantage, was unmoved and launched a vicious attack to washing-tub like stomach of Quashie.
O'Neil followed up early in the next round and secured her fourth knockout in seven fights as pandemonium broke out in the Sports Hall.
"I did just what I said I would do. At the press conference I said that I would knock her out and that is what I did. If the towel was not thrown in I would have floored her," O'Neil said.
Both fighters hugged after the battle which attracted applause from spectators. The main fight turned out to be just a fight that lacked the finer aspects of the sport.
National lightweight champion Richard Howard hunted game Trinidadian Learie Bruce through out the eight round contest but could not find the knockout.
The aggressor for the entire fight, Howard secured a unanimous decision.
In what turned out to be the shortest fight of the night Dexter Breedy of the Republican Gym may have created history in Guyana when he dropped Earl Deane a total of four times before to win by first round technical knockout.
One pound over the lightweight limit, Breedy was all over Deane from the opening bell.
Breedy's powerful left hook was in constant contact with Dean's jaw and produce all four knock downs, the last of which forced referee Harold Duncan to call a halt to the carnage with 33 seconds left in the round.
Shondell Thomas set the tone for a Guyana sweep when he outpointed Trinidadian Ria Ramnaraine to win via unanimous decision. It was sweet revenge for Thomas who only last Boxing Day had lost by the same margin to Ramnaraine.
Both fighters hurt each other but Thomas remained the hungrier of the two and had the distinction of throwing the only uppercut of the eight-round flyweight bout.
Ramnaraine was dropped in the first round from Thomas short right. The opening fight of the card saw welterweight Rodney Tappin keeping his winning streak intact.
Tappin earned his fourth professional victory with unanimous victory over Charwayne Benjamin. Bantamweight Leon Moore never had a chance to lace up his gloves as his opponent Eon Duncan never turned up.
The card was the first held in this country for 2002 and was organised by the Guyana Boxing Board of Control.