Jamaica’s involvement in the Briso Promotions Pro/Am Card on May 21 at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue has been officially confirmed in the form of female pugilist Britney McFarlane and coach Gilbert Valz, with the former slated to battle local star Alesha Jackman in an amateur affair.
The duo is slated to arrive on local shores on May 19. This is the second international fixture that has been confirmed for the amateur section, as Trinidad and Tobago champion Lee Ann Boodram will enter the squared circle against Abiola Jackman, the sibling of Alesha.
The Trinidad and Tobago fighter will arrive on local shores on May 20 for her fistic engagement.
The sisters are the first-ever Guyanese female pugilists to attain a world ranking from the International Boxing Association (IBA), after their participation at the Women’s World Championships in New Delhi, India.
Abiola Jackman is now ranked 27th in the world in the Elite Women 81 and over kg or heavyweight division, with Alesha seeded 58th in the Elite Women 60-63 Kg or junior welterweight division.
GBA President Steve Ninvalle said, “The confirmation of Jamaica’s participation coupled with Trinidad and Tobago’s established attendance, has firmly concretised this card as an international endeavour. What is exceptionally noteworthy is that female pugilists will take center stage in the amateur section, which is a momentous achievement and a watershed moment for the discipline. Additionally, the confirmed participation of our Caribbean counterparts will certainly raise the event’s already established international profile and will act as a catalyst for the publicising of the female game.”
He further said, “The GBA has once again illustrated its unwavering commitment to the development of female boxing which has pellucidly taken centre stage in 2023 via local events and international sojourns and campaigns. The association remains dedicated to elevating every aspect of the sport, with particular emphasis on empowering the female component which in previous eras was neglected. This is our evidential and unwritten mandate for 2023 and onward.”
In what is anticipated to be the biggest fight night in a decade, the Briso Promotions ‘Pro/Am Card’ is being projected to surpass the atmosphere, ambiance, and overall quality of the recently staged Patrick Forde Memorial Championships, which was hailed as the benchmark for a local boxing event.
Meanwhile, five exciting professional bouts and an equal number of amateur engagements are confirmed for the impending fight night, which will be headlined and co-headlined by Guyanese duo Elton Dharry and Dexter ‘De Kid’ Marques respectively.
Dharry will enter the squared circle against Ramos Ronald in an eight-round Bantamweight fixture, whilst Marques will battle Luis Carrillo in an eight-round Super Bantamweight encounter.
A Caribbean rivalry will also resume on fight night as Terrence Adams is penciled to face off against Barbadian Ricardo Blackman, while Anthony Augustin will match skills with Emmanuel Anderson of Barbados.
The card will also feature a six-round Super Flyweight bout between Natalya Delgado and Darianis Garcia
The fight will mark Dharry’s return to the ring in over a year and will serve as a tune-up for his July encounter on local shores with Hugo Hernandez of Mexico for the WBC Silver Belt.
Dharry, 37, fought for the WBA Super flyweight title in 2019, but suffered a controversial ninth-round stoppage loss to Australian Andrew Maloney in Melbourne.
