Prince-Lee in boxing ‘Showdown’ tonight

TT's Prince-Lee Isidore, left, stares down Venezuela's Antoni Armas at yesterday's weigh-in ceremony at the TT Boxing Board of Control office, Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. PHOTO BY ANGELO MARCELLE
TT's Prince-Lee Isidore, left, stares down Venezuela's Antoni Armas at yesterday's weigh-in ceremony at the TT Boxing Board of Control office, Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. PHOTO BY ANGELO MARCELLE

PRINCE-LEE Isidore will make his competitive return to the ring tonight after a 14-month intermission for a lightweight ten-round match against Venezuela's Antoni Armas in the lone World Boxing Federation (WBF) International title match of a five-bout card.

Dubbed "The Showdown" by promoters Lion Stone Boxing Promotion of Las Vegas and local company Fine Line Productions, Isidore and Armas is the feature bout on the card which boxes off at 7 pm.

The card was finalised at a weigh-in ceremony at the Trinidad Boxing Board of Control's (TBBC) office at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo yesterday, where Armas and Isidore each recorded 134 lbs on the scale.

Isidore, with a record of 16 wins, three losses and one draw, returns for his first bout since his TKO victory over Guyana's Orlando Rogers in Chaguanas in December 2017.

Isidore again expressed little concern or care for his opponent's ability but expects Armas to bring his best.

"To me, it's unnecessary. I've never been the type of person, who looks at fights because any good fighter, as I've said, will always try to get better and not look like they looked in their last fight so I expect him to bring his 'A' game,'" Isidore said.

He added, "Since the last time I've fought, it's just been training. Obviously there has been word of the title fight because I was supposed to fight back in October. That got cancelled for this fight instead and seeing that it is a title fight, a lot more training – intense training – went in, and now I just can't wait to get off on Saturday."

Local heavyweight veteran Kertson Manswell (262 lbs, 24W/12L) will return to the ring after two and a half years an undercard match against Kenneth Bishop (236 lbs, 2W/2L/1D). Anticipation for the event gained momentum recently when Bishop described his opponent as "baby food".

Manswell, 42, last fought in August 2015, losing by knockout to Russia's Vyacheslav Glazkov in Russia.

Bishop, who is two years Manswell's senior, also last fought in 2015, in a tie with TT compatriot Denzil Salazar.

Other bouts on the night will see Joel "The Matador" McRae (200lbs) taking on Nigel "Cow" Edwards; Iwan Azore (157 lbs) up against Kevin Diaz (153.5 lbs) in the six-round penultimate match; and US-based Carlos Suarez (116 lbs) clashing with Venezuela's Dallan Llovera (116 lbs).

According to a TBBC official, the boxers will earn a percentage of gate receipts. The prize purses, therefore, have not been finalised and confirmed. The TBBC, in a statement said, "It is our intention that this will be the first of a number of cards proposed to take place every three months. We do have great prospects in TT and we hope to solidify good working relations with our foreign counterparts so that boxing becomes a viable and exciting industry once more here."

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"Prince-Lee in boxing ‘Showdown’ tonight"

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