Hugo Lewis crowned CBA lightweight champ
- O’Neil loses, declares she was robbed
Stabroek News
December 28, 2002
`Hurricane’ Hugo Lewis was crowned Caribbean Boxing Association’s junior lightweight champion Thursday night after scoring a split decision victory over Vincent Howard at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
In the main supporting bout of the five-fight Boxing Night card organised by the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) United States’ `Vicious’ Veronica Simmons scored a unanimous points win over Guyana’s Gwendolyn O’Neil in a six-round affair. The later, however, feels she was cheated.
In the main bout over 12 rounds, Judge Trevor Arno scored it 118-113 in favour of Howard who weighed in at 130 pounds while the other two judges, Mohan Persaud and Ian Alves, had the 128lb Lewis, who is based in the United States, winning.
Persaud scored the bout 115-113 for Lewis, while Alves had Lewis winning by a 117-111 margin.
Earlier in the night, Leon Moore improved his short professional record from 4-0 to 5-0, by forcing referee Harold Duncan to stop his featherweight contest against Errol Trotman in the first round.
To date, none of Moore’s opponents have ever gone the full distance.
Speaking to Stabroek Sport by telephone yesterday, O’Neil declared that she was robbed on Thursday night “That girl (Simmons) did not beat me, I win duh fight” O’Neil stated, adding “the boxing board and the judges foreign minded, even Lennox Blackmoore foreign minded”.
Blackmoore who coaches Simmons at the Gleeson Gym in New York, also had a three month stint with O’Neil while she was at the Gleeson Gym.
“I am disappointed with Blackmoore, he is a Guyanese, but he foreign minded” O’Neil lamented adding “Blackmoore trained me in New York and he sey I hitting too hard, he had me holding back meh punches”.
O’Neil said if she is offered a re-match with Simmons, the promoter/s would have to pay her much more money than she received for Thursday night’s bout.
“Anytime we fight again, I will kill her,” O’Neil declared.
According to O’Neil, she had to shed 20 pounds within one month to fight Simmons.
O’Neil said she was never hurt during the bout and she still remains Guyana’s champion. “They don’t have punch to put me away. It ain’t got no woman beating me out hey.”
“Duh fight was a sell fight” O’Neil said, adding “the public know I win. Water come to meh eyes when I see they rob meh.”
In the opening bout of the night’s card, Mark Dalton scored a unanimous points decision win over Linden Arthur in a featherweight contest over four rounds.
Cassius Matthews also registered a unanimous points victory over Deter Breedy in their lightweight contest over eight rounds.
GBBC’s secretary Trevor Arno said the card was a success and boasted that it attracted the largest crowd in years.
All the ring side seats were sold out as well as most of the seats in the eastern and western stands. The latter had a capacity crowd.
