Elton Dharry was crowned the International Boxing Organisation (IBO) super bantamweight world champion in the early hours of Sunday after defeating Tanzania’s Salmin Kassim by unanimous decision at the Pegasus Hotel.
Dharry, 40, was awarded the bout 117-109, 117-109 and 118-109 on the judges’ scorecards to become Guyana’s eighth world boxing champion.
President Irfaan Ali attended the event, which drew a capacity crowd that remained vocal throughout the 12-round contest.
Dharry was knocked down in the second round but recovered to take control in the middle rounds, particularly the fifth, where he landed sustained body and head combinations that put Kassim under pressure.
Both fighters sustained cuts following accidental head clashes, but Dharry’s composure, ring control and accurate jab saw him maintain advantage to the final bell.
In the co-main event, Keevin Allicock captured the Guyana featherweight title after his opponent Dexter Marques was unable to continue due to a cut over his right eye.
Earlier, Desmond Amsterdam stopped Jamaica’s Kevin Hilton via first-round technical knockout, after a dominant opening round performance.
The night, however, belonged to Dharry, who added a world title to his career achievements in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.
