Young promoter takes local boxing to new heights
By Steve Ninvalle
Stabroek News
June 20, 2004
Carwyn Holland is young by at least two standards. He is 27 years old which is considered young in most circles and as a boxing promoter he is still in the cradle since he came on the scene less than a year ago.
Holland, who doubles as a manager, has a number of fighters under contract and by managerial standards he can be considered young also.
But since the University of Guyana student stepped onto the promotion trail, local boxing has taken a turn. The crowds which had dwindled to a handful began trickling back.
It seems that while he was on the sidelines Holland went to the library and pulled pages from the books of Odinga Lumumba, Keith Bazilio and Trevor Arno and company at the Guyana Boxing Board of Control, who have all been promoting long before Holland could say the word boxing properly.
His first card at the MSC ground in November last year pulled the largest crowd ever at a boxing match in Linden.
Holland's simple method of attracting the crowd was to make sure that his cards had female fighters participating, a trend tried and perfected by the Guyana Boxing Board of Control.
But attracting crowds was not his only aim.
"I wanted to make sure that people got their money's worth. I can't be a promoter for some selfish reason. The spectators and the boxers are the ones who are special and should be treated that way. So I made sure that fighters were matched with those of the same level," the promotion heavyweight said.
In quick succession, Holland held two other cards and although they were financial failures, the experience he gained would play a great part in him achieving one of his goals: staging a world title fight here.
And it took the pushy businessman just a few months to do what no other local promoter before had done. On May 29, Holland's Entertain-ment Promotion hit it big with the first world-title fight on these shores between Guya-nese Gwendolyn `The Stealth Bomber' O'Neil and American Kathy Rivers.
The rest is history. The card came off with a bang and although Holland claimed it wasn't a financial success, the bottom line, as he stressed is that the fans went home happy and Guyana received another place on the boxing world map.
"The world title fight could have made me a rich man or a pauper. In the end it turned out that neither of the two happened. It was a financial loss but it has done good for the future of boxing in this country."
I think that I'm the youngest promoter in the world to have organised a world title fight. It came through hard work and dedication," Holland added.
"That was just the ice breaker. There is much more to come from me. I know that the world title fight has paved the way for me to do more. It has said that I'm serious about what I'm doing and it shows that once you stick with an idea and have the backings and support anything can happen."
Next in Holland's mind is the staging of two world titles and a Commonwealth title fight here. "I'm looking to land Leon Moore a Common-wealth title fight right in Guyana. That should be some time in August."
Still bigger things are in the future. "I plan in October to have O'Neil defend her title against Jacqui Frazier Lyde. We have already received positive word from Frazier Lyde. In December, Pamela `The Grenade' London will fight for the female heavyweight championship of the world. She will fight a Colombian. I know now that when people hear of Holland's Entertain-ment Promotion they expect quality fights. I am willing to risk a lot to keep it that way. It is a hallmark now."
And how did he get into the business of promotion? Holland confessed that Denny Dalton, the Guyana and Caribbean Boxing Federa-tion's junior middleweight champion is behind him starting the promotion of fights.
"I was managing him and he was not getting fights and that is how it all started. DDL came on board and have always been on board. I guess that they are somewhat happy now."
He now has a stable of fighters under contract, who he has labelled the Warrior Team. "My goal is to see every member of the Warriors Team win world titles. Then I can sit back and say that I have really done my bit. But for now I'll continue blazing the trail.
"All the hits I have had since I started promoting have made me stronger. I have support and I will go on. Of course I'll get knocked down now and then but you can bet your life that I'll be getting up, brushing off and returning to throw punches."