TT boxer needs $20,000 for Venezuela bout

WORLD Boxing Council (WBC) FECARBOX (Caribbean and Central American) light heavyweight champion Sheldon Lawrence says he does not want his hard work “to go down the drain,” as he made another plea yesterday for financial assistance for a bout on August 31.

Lawrence is counting on the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs for money to prepare and travel to Caracas, Venezuela for the TT Independence Day bout.

Lawrence, his technical advisor Buxo Potts and coach Alric Johnson need $20,000 for the trip.

Owing to a lack of funds, the Siparia-based boxer has not been able to prepare properly for fights and therefore has not been able to compete. He was recently stripped of his belt for failing to defend his title within the stipulated six-month period.

Consequently, he has also slipped from 18th to 19th in the latest official WBC light heavyweight world rankings.

Lawrence is hoping to get elite athlete and/or grant funding so he can spend more time training, rather than working at his offshore job.

At a press conference, at Alicia’s House in St Ann’s yesterday, Lawrence said he has to train part-time.

“Training is a bit tough, because after work I have to head to the gym. It is a tough enough job I do each day,” Lawrence said.

He was hurt that his title was taken away.

“Being stripped of my title, I felt like all the hard work my team and I put in to reach that point went down the drain. That was only due to a lack of funding...it will be much appreciated if the Ministry of Sport could come through for this fight coming up in Venezuela.”

Potts said, “We are publicly calling on the Ministry of Sports today to do their job as it relates to assisting athletes of TT. I am saying to the Minister of Sports that you must put athletes before stadia. It is athletes that full stadia, stadia do not full athletes.

“I am calling on you, Ms (Shamfa) Cudjoe, Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, and the technocrats at the Ministry of Sport to make sure that this athlete, Sheldon Lawrence, be given every opportunity to fight at the end of this month. He wants to fight for the silver belt, the international belt, and to be able to fight for a world title to bring fame and glory to this country.”

Potts said Lawrence’s team has tried to get financial help by other means, but due to the economic downturn not much help has come forward.

Johnson said the lack of training has affected the boxer.

“Being away from the gym for so long, it took a toll on him, but as we have started back training, everything is starting to fall back into place. He is not 100 per cent, but he is getting there, because he knows the basics. But what we have to work on is the technical aspect and getting fit,” Johnson said.