Boxing promoter hopes to revive sport

Since its heyday in the 1970s, Belize’s boxing scene has been on the ropes and maybe even down for the count. But promoter Osmond Martinez is hoping to change all that starting this Saturday night at the Princess Hotel in Belize City. On that night Belizeans will be treated to two professional fights and four amateur bouts with boxers hailing from Belize and throughout Central America. This week Martinez told sportscaster James Adderley what audiences can expect.

Osmond Martinez, Boxing Promoter
“What you can expect is a great fight. It’s the introduction back of boxing to Belize. The guys that will be fighting will be registering to my promotion and I will be working with them, so that depending on their performance and the discipline and their hunger that they have to become great boxers we will give them a tour either in South America, Europe or the States in the near future.”

James Adderley
“Gives us some names of who you are banking on in this particular project.”

Osmond Martinez
“We are banking on the Honduran, Wilmer Rene Fernandez, he’s already signed; the champion of the south part of Mexico, Sergio, by nickname Jeyo they call him, Thompson and he’s a great fighter in the one hundred and thirty-two pounds, he’s already signed; and we’re looking forward to sign this Saturday Mr. Horace Cadle, the Killer, a Belizean from San Pedro.”

“The main part is we’re working from the foundation. We are creating the amateur competitions so that soon they can become professionals and great professionals. That’s why I am providing Cuban trainers to them to work with them every single day of the week.”

The bell rings at seven p.m. on Saturday. Entrance is twenty-five dollars. According to Martinez, he plans to make the event a monthly occurrence with another set of matches already slated for the end of July at the Corozal Free Zone.