…says Stephan DaSilva, WBL Junior Lightweight Champion
Stephan DaSilva and wife, Shoba, sharing a light moment with Businessman Azruddin Mohamed as he showcases his WBL belt
On the evening of September 12, 2022, Guyanese Stephan Da Silva achieved one of his dreams when he won the WBL Junior Lightweight title in Sydney, Australia.
Securing his first international belt is a feeling the Guyanese boxer would never forget. DaSilva related to <<Guyana Times Sport>> that although the bout at the Gairy St Clair Superhero Fight Night in Sydney, Australia seemed a big occasion, he was always confident of doing well.
“It was already there inside of me; I could have felt it. I plan my shots a lot, how I’m going to start this fight and everything. Although there was some people who were angry at the way I started it, because I was like brawling at the first, but that’s me, I’m not here to play. This is serious time,” DaSilva told this publication during a recent interview.
He added, “When the referee came to me and said that is it, it’s over, I was like okay. But deep inside of me I was already celebrating from home.”
While discussing how he prepared for the major bout last year, Da Silva revealed that it took a lot of hard work and focus, something most professional boxers are unable to do. The pugilist explained, “Putting in the work for that achievement, majority of the work was done back home in Guyana. Because, from day one, it’s something I’ve been training for. Like, currently, a lot of people would be looking at me to train to defend the title, but defending is not the problem for me, I’m training for a higher title than that one.
“But putting in the work was fun, I enjoyed it, especially when I go to Australia, the training was different but enjoying.”
Da Silva further spoke of some of the struggles of professional boxers, stating, “I used to work, and leave work and go and train, but that couldn’t pay off in the end. I had to end up leaving my job to go ahead with my career. Going forward as a boxer with such a career, a career that is not secure for you, you have to keep trying all the time. There are people who I would talk to, they keep giving me the comfort, like try, try; try and I would keep trying.”
Highlighting the different approaches by local and international pugilists, Da Silva related that most Guyanese boxers have what it takes to do well on the international stage, but promoters also have a role to play.
“The way that we would train, Australians do not train that way, and I see it around the world. You know, we train different from other boxers, but it is nice to know, as Guyanese fighters, if we had these training, with our skills, it would make us unstoppable anywhere we go,” the WBL Junior Lightweight title holder confidently expressed.
“For us, we have this brawling, bully way inside of us, like hey, everything belongs to us. So, that’s the way we would go forward all the time. Unlike other people, they would want to relax and control the fight. But, we as Guyanese, if we continue fighting the way we are, we can control any fight.”
DaSilva went on to add about the need for support for Guyanese boxers, “When you’re a boxer, you go through everything, and when you become a promoter, you need to turn boxing. Not because you went through certain things mean you put other boxers through certain things.”
In the meantime, DaSilva anticipates the opportunity to defend his title in 2023.
