Amsterdam, Jackman, Allicock entertain at Patrick Forde Memorial
Story and Photos by Jemima Holmes
The best of Guyana’s amateur boxing talent was on show at the National Gymnasium on Sunday night when the Patrick Forde Memorial Tournament made its highly-anticipated return.
So much so that the Gymnasium saw hundreds of fans and supporters pouring in, unlike most amateur tournaments of the past.
A look at Abiola Jackman (blue) in action
When it was time for the bouts, the spectators erupted in cheers and dances, as the likes of Keevin “Lightning” Allicock, Desmond “Dynamite” Amsterdam, and the Jackman sisters entertained in the ring.
Earlier in the night, some of Guyana’s Under-16 boxing talent were on show. Those matches saw Glaston Winter of Vergenoegen Boxing Gym (VBG) defeating Roopesh Balgobin of Rose Hall Jammers (RHJ).
Shaquan Marshall of VBG took a little over one minute to get the best of RHJ’s Curtis McDonald in the following fight, while Mark Crawford of Forgotten Youth Foundation (FYF) bested Clifton Graham of the Police Force’s Boxing Gym.
A bout between RHJ’s Jamal Eastman and FYF’s Patrick Harvey gave a taste of the entertainment to come, as the duo battled fiercely for the entirety of their three rounds. In the end, it was Eastman who prevailed.
Keevin Allicock was keen on landing body shots
Facing off with Trinidad and Tobago’s Shawnelle Hamid, all it took was 53 seconds for Alesha Jackman to effect a technical knockout of her opponent. After cornering Hamid, Jackman landed several punches on her opponent before the fight was stopped by the referee and the young Guyanese boxer was moved to tears.
Desmond Amsterdam caused his opponent to lose his footing on several occasions
Her older sister, Abiola Jackman, also effected a TKO when she came up against Barbados’s Kamara Stuart. The elder Jackman took her time throughout the three-round bout, wearing out her opponent as she went along. A decisive blow in the third round would eventually see off Stuart, who only needed to persevere 10 more seconds in order to see the fight through.
Allicock rallied the entirety of his three rounds against Trinidad’s Anthony Joseph, but when the final bell went, it was the Guyanese who won unanimously, as his quick footwork and frequent body shots got the job done.
Next up was the figurative ‘main event’ where Amsterdam, Guyana’s Sportsman of the Year 2021-2022, battled Nickelle Joseph, also of the twin-island republic.
Amsterdam’s powerful blows managed to fell Joseph on several occasions before the referee stopped the encounter, awarding the Guyanese a TKO.
Alesha Jackman cornered her opponent on her way to a TKO victory
Other bouts of the night saw Guyana’s Joel Williamson defeating Jeremiah Toussaint of Barbados , Guyana’s Brian Harris overcoming Trinidad and Tobago’s Jaden Castillano and Barbados’s Ju Sean Shepherd overpowering Julius Kesney of Guyana, while an international female bout saw Leeann Boodram (TT) overpowering St Lucia’s Nikaela Khodra.
