O'Neil bombs her way to IWBA world title
By Michael DaSilva
Stabroek News
May 31, 2004
The new International Women's Boxing Association's (IWBA) light heavyweight champion guyana's Gwendolyn `Stealth Bomber' O'Neil (third right) accepts her IWBA belt from Guyana's president Bharrat Jagdeo while head of the Holland's Entertainment Promotions
Gwendolyn `Stealth Bomber' O'Neil created history on Saturday night at the National Park when she became the first ever local female world boxing champion
On Saturday also, national bantamweight champion `Hurry Up' Leon Moore scored a sixth round technical knock-out victory over Santo Domingo's Elvis Martinez to become the Caribbean Boxing Federation's (CABOFE) bantamweight champion.
The underrated O'Neil secured a unanimous points decision over International Women's Boxing Association's (IWBA) number one ranked Kathy Rivers to secure the light heavyweight world title.
Judge Trevor Arno (Guyana) scored the fight 98-95 for O'Neil while Judge Andy Thorne had it 98-92 for O'Neil. Trinidadian Tommy Thomas scored the fight 100-90 for O'Neil.
IWBA president Ryan Wisso said at a press conference on Friday that the winner of Saturday night's fight will meet American Ann Wolf to unify the light heavyweight title. The winner of the unification bout will then meet Laila Ali.
In the main bout between O'Neil and Rivers, both boxers came out throwing punches at each other from the opening bell but O'Neil had the better of the round.
Rivers carried the attack to O'Neil in round two and had her (O'Neil) on the retreat for most of the round. She herself (Rivers) slipped a number of O'Neil's jabs.
The two planted their feet in the centre of the ring during round three and exchanged punches but Rivers landed the more telling blows and easily won the round. The pattern remained the same during the fourth round.
O'Neil started to attack Rivers' body during the fifth round and had her (Rivers) on the retreat, Rivers countered with one-two combinations to head nearing the end of the round.
O'Neil went on the attack from the start of the sixth round, landing one-two combinations to the head and body of Rivers who responded with a few combinations of her own.
O'Neil, with the crowd calling on her, kept up the pressure and landed a number of punches to the head and body of the American who countered gamely. Round eight was a carbon copy of the previous round..
Round nine saw O'Neil taking the fight to Rivers, connecting with combinations to the head and body, but Rivers responded in like manner.
In the tenth and final round, O'Neil, with the crowd fully behind her and fighting like someone possessed, stalked Rivers and connected with shots to head and body to clearly win the round and the fight.
In the main supporting bout, Moore lived up to his call name `Hurry Up" by taking the fight to Martinez, causing him to remain seated on his stool at the start of the sixth round.
The two fighters felt out each other during the first round but Moore had the better of the exchanges.
The south paw Moore caught Martinez with two right jabs and left hook combinations in round two, then changed his right jabs into hooks that apparently surprised the Santo Dominigo native.
Both boxers exchanged combinations during the third round but it was evident that the local champion was getting the upper hand over Martinez, who, because of flight problems only arrived in Guyana on Friday night. The following round was a quiet one and could have gone anyway.
Round five saw Moore stepping on his man, catching him with several combinations that caused Martinez to go on the retreat. The onslaught took its toll on Martinez who refused to get off his stool for the start of the sixth round.
In other results, James Walcott made a successful start to his professional career by scoring a points decision over Troy Lewis. Lennox Allen defeated Wayne Briggs and Pamela London beat Geraldine Cox.