Emmanuel on the card

Amateur boxing is returning to Springer Memorial School’s indoor auditorium.
So too is Anderson Emmanuel.
One of Barbados’ most medalled pugilists is set to take the ring on home soil for the first time in six months as the highlight of tomorrow’s Horace Phillips Memorial ten-bout card starting at the Government Hill, St Michael, venue at 7:15 p.m.
It’s just the second time Emmanuel will be taking the canvas since his high-profiled robbery charge back in December, following an appearance in Santo Domingo’s Independence tournament last week.
And his much-awaited heavyweight bout against Vincentian Lorenzo Duncan is just one of eight fights pitting local boxers versus foreign fighters.
Fellow national boxers Cobia Breedy (lightweight) and Ricardo Blackman (flyweight) – who both travelled to Santo Domingo – are also expected to be in action against Trinidad’s Michael Alexander and St Lucia’s Travis Maynard respectively.
Promising female pugilist Kimberly Gittens (welterweight), Gheeta Narine (lightweight) and Jenny Benedict (featherweight) – all of whom represented Barbados in the 2010 AIBA World Women’s Boxing Championships – will take the ring in bouts against Trinidadians.
But all eyes will be on the 26-year-old Emmanuel – a multi-bronze medal finisher at the Commonwealth, Central American and Caribbean and Pan American Games – who was forced to miss August’s Ronald Wilson Classic when there was no heavyweight boxer for him to fight.
However, Emmanuel fell on hard times just last December after being remanded to HMP Dodds on a robbery charge. The standout amateur was later released on bail and given his travel documents in hopes he would qualify for the Summer Olympic Games.