In the compound of City Hall, Mayor Hamilton Green presented the Mayor’s Medal to the two world champion boxers while Patricia Chase-Green and Beulah Williams handed over plaques. The champions also signed the Visitors’ Book.

Also in attendance was Howard Eastman who should have won another world title for Guyana but was the victim of a bad decision.

Secretary of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control, Trevor Arno, chaired the proceedings and he highlighted the boxers’ achievement in the ring, leading up to the world titles.

Arno disclosed that both boxers started their ring careers at a very tender age and both of them began their formal training under Gordon Williams at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Braithwaite said he was happy to put the village of his birth, Plaisance, on the map.

“I made a promise to the Plaisance people that I would not be back home without a world title, and now I have a world title and I’m back home.”

The champion thanked everyone for coming out to support and welcome the two boxers home.

Harris said: “I am just happy to win the world title for Guyana. This is not the end; this is just the start.”

Mayor Green said: “It is a very special occasion to honour two special young men,” Mayor Green said.

The mayor said that the two boxers must be considered when the names of streets are renamed so that there would be a lasting reminder of their achievements, since people tend to forget quickly.

“Boxing is very important to us in Guyana and we must not take it for granted,” Mayor Green declared.

The longstanding sport enthusiast recounted Cliff Anderson’s exploits when, from all appearances, the ‘Black Panther’ won the Empire title over Al ‘the Algate Tiger’ Phillips but was not given the decision, since the world was not ready for a black champion. Green said a similar fate reached American heavyweight Johnson.

Then the mayor recalled the day when Joe Louis beat a German boxer Max Shmeling and how Americans celebrated, despite the boxer being a black man.

“Boxers represent more than their championships; they represent the heart of the country,” Green said.

But Mayor also declared: “Boxers themselves must be given the full credit; they take the blows, they have to make the sacrifice.”

This seemed to be in response to Adviser to the President, Odinga Lumumba, who had earlier asserted that the trainers were “probably more fundamental than the boxers”.