NEWLY crowned World Boxing Council Cruiserweight champion, Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite, was trained to win with knockouts.
Braithwaite put away Italian Vincenzo Cantatore in the tenth round to become Guyana’s second world champion.
The victory was the boxer’s 18th professional win in as many appearances, with just three going the distance - 15 ending by knockouts.
Gordon Williams laid the foundation for the eventual champion. He trained boxers under the name, Gordon’s International Gym at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall for some 20 years. Chronicle Sport found him at his Princes Street, Lodge home.
The long-standing trainer yesterday told Chronicle Sport: “I concentrated on power and taught him to fight south-paw. I told him, he had to knockout people to win.”
Gordon recalled when Braithwaite was brought to his gym in 1991 by another boxer whom he remembered as just “Poopoo”.
“He was a weak fighter but he was big. There was nobody with his size at the time. And I said I would make him a champion,” Gordon said.
Under Gordon’s charge, Braithwaite fought 27 amateur bouts and five professionals, his first professional opponent being Gordon Douglas.
“He trained two times each day - from three in the morning to seven, then from 3:30 in the afternoon to six, seven o’clock,” Gordon related.
“I feel good,” Gordon said.
According to the trainer, Braithwaite made his professional overseas debut under Herman Harris who took him to Martinique.
Guyana should get another world title when Vivian Harris enters the ring next weekend in Texas; Gordon also laid the foundation for his boxing career.
“He used to come every afternoon when he was attending Lodge school,” Gordon disclosed.
Gordon, who was an assistant to the renowned Cliff Anderson, said Olympian Delon Carew was under his charge at the gym.
But it was Lennox Daniels of the Guyana Defence Force gym who actually prepared Braithwaite to represent the country in the amateur ring. He actually began his boxing career in the GDF gym, carried there by his father Orin Argyle who was a soldier.
“I am glad that I was part of his amateur days,” Daniels said.
Braithwaite became a Pan-American gold medallist in 1993 when he beat a Cuban in Venezuela.
The boxer was also a Best Boxer in the Carifta championship for junior boxers, then again won the title during a Goodwill encounter with Barbados, Guyana and the Royal Navy in Barbados in 1994.
In 1996, Braithwaite reached the semifinals of the Pre-Olympic Box-off in Argentina, the same year John Douglas qualified.
“But since back there, you could have seen that he had the potential to be a world champion,” Daniels said.
The coach, however, contended that the fight did not bring out the full talent of the boxer.
“He has far more potential. Not taking away anything from him, it wasn’t an artistic battle; he has to sharpen his technique,” Daniels said.
Daniels said should he move up to the heavyweight, Braithwaite would have to move a lot more and work on his defence and hitting.
“If he would master hitting, the fight wouldn’t reach that distance,” Daniels observed.
But Daniels pointed out that the several postponements might have had its toll on the boxer.
“The fight being on and off could break a man. It could have contributed towards his performance,” Daniels said.
“I hope he would be given the same treatment as (Andrew) ‘Sixhead’ Lewis. It was a lot of sacrifice, dedication and focus,” Daniels pointed out.