IT WAS like old times on Saturday night. A near capacity crowd at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall witnessed six good bouts in the Independence boxing card, one of which produced a world title contender.

Gwendolyn ‘Stealth Bomber’ O’Neil captured the National Light Heavyweight title, beating up Margaret ‘Chico’ Walcott for a technical knockout in round four and qualifying for a possible world title crack against American Veronica Simmons.

In the main bout, Denny Dalton was denied a knockout over Barbadian Christopher ‘Shaka’ Henry when fans invaded the ring, but prevailed to win by a majority decision in a bruising encounter.

That fight probably had the edge for the highlight in a card that produced sparkling encounters from the first gong with the Memory Lane clash in which Cecil Alfred showed the class of yore to easily secure a unanimous decision over Dennis McKenzie.

Fast-rising knockout machine Leon Moore needed only two minutes ten seconds to add Linden Arthur to his growing knockout victory list.

Youth prevailed when 24-year-old Shelly Gibson earned a TKO over 40-year-old Cheryl Greaves who suffered a dislocated shoulder and the doctor advised the referee to stop the heavyweight showdown.

And lightning-fisted Dexter Breedy got a unanimous decision over Shawn Holder in a fast-paced lightweight encounter.

After the brilliant under-cards, the main event was an excellent climax to yet another entertaining card, put together by the Guyana Boxing Board of Control, with the placard-waving crowd being very much involved with the non-stop action in the ring.

Henry carried the fight in the opening rounds but from round five, Dalton turned the table, nearly knocking out the visitor. Eventually judge Trevor Arno gave Dalton a 97-95 nod and Ian Alves 97-94, while Bernard Dos Santos had it an even 96-96. Chronicle Sport scored it 97-95.

The first two rounds were even. Henry connected at long range in the opening stanza, but Dalton moved into close quarters after sticking in three straight lefts to head and landed a solid right. Henry also got in one or two, but missed with his uppercuts. Dalton again worked in close quarters in the second round, connecting three good uppercuts and left right combination to head. Henry did land some right hooks, but was generally off target.

Henry took the third round, landing solid overhand rights to head, followed with combinations from long range and Dalton clinched, getting in two good ones in close quarters.

The fourth round was again even, with Henry using his reach to connect solid left hooks to head. Again Dalton moved into close quarters, coming back into contention with solid uppercuts.

Then in round five, Dalton stunned Henry with a left-right combination to head and followed him with more combinations. Eventually Henry fell to his knees and referee Eion Jardine signalled a slip. But fans close to the ring did not read the signal correctly, probably thinking it was all over and sprang over the ropes into the ring, giving Henry the necessary respite to recover. Chronicle Sport scored that round 10-8 for Dalton.

But in the next round, Henry caught Dalton with a swinging right to head and Dalton had to clinch to survive. Dalton got in one or two at close quarters, but Henry had taken the round.

Dalton tagged Henry with a solid right to head in the seventh round, following up with more shots to head, adding uppercuts in the process to claim the round. Henry’s corner fought for time, with the trainer wiping the floor after the gong sounded for the start of the eighth round. Then he had to insert the mouth-guard giving Henry more recovery time. But Dalton immediately scored with a left to head. He pierced through two solid uppercuts and finished the round with a right hook to head.

Henry scored first in the ninth round with a left-right combination to head and Dalton clinched. Dalton, however, scored some telling uppercuts, claiming the round.

The last round belonged to Henry, who tagged Dalton with a solid right hook to head, and followed up nicely.

After the fight, referee Jardine said: “The crowd robbed Denny of a knockout. They did not know the signal for ‘no knock down’.”

Trainer Maurice ‘Bizzy’ Boyce said: “The plan was to get in as close as possible because he had reach and was very skilful. We took away his game plan by having Denny stay on him all the time.”

Dalton said: “The more you knock me, the more I fight. He caught me in the early rounds because my body wasn’t heated up yet. He caught me with lots of headshots. He thought he hurt me, but I wasn’t.”

But manager/trainer Samuel Layne thought otherwise: “The decision was a wrong one. It was a hometown decision. Shaka won the early rounds. He hurt him and Dalton had to hold on to Shaka.”

Layne is now proposing a title bout between the two boxers in July in Barbados, to prove that his fighter won.

In the title bout, O’Neil had Walcott racing away from blows from the first round. Walcott was warned for holding in the second. In the third, Walcott tried to fight back, but O’Neil responded with a combination to head. O’Neil continued the onslaught to head and body in the fourth and the referee stepped in 1:14 minutes to end the contest.

The night started with Alfred pinning McKenzie to the ropes, digging telling body shots and occasional left hooks. He dominated the fight for a unanimous decision.

Former National champion Michael Benjamin also returned to the professional ring, making his debut as a referee.

Then with clinical precision, Moore stunned Arthur early with a right to head. Arthur staggered but referee Eon McPherson did not intervene. The southpaw Moore continued the onslaught, eventually putting him away with a powerful right to chin. But Arthur absorbed a lot before eventually being knocked down. Arthur tried to get up, but fell flat on his back and the doctors rushed in.

Gibson pinned Greaves, landing shots to the head to dominate the fight, although Greaves did not back off. At the end of the third the doctor was called to inspect Greaves and the referee stopped the fight on the advice of the doctor, Greaves suffering a dislocated shoulder.