EX-WBC Champ Braithwaite KO’d In Heavyweight Debut

In a shocking upset on a special five bout WBC CABOFE card at Cliff Anderson Sports Hall in Georgetown, Guyana, former World Boxing Council Cruiserweight champion Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite of Guyana was knocked out in the first round of his heavyweight debut by Barbados based Shawn ‘The Sniper’ Cox. Braithwaite has figured prominently in the cruiserweight picture the past ten years.

Both fighters were moving up from cruiserweight to heavyweight for the lucrative opportunity to enter the upcoming WBC World Cup Tournament in May 2012.

Braithwaite, 36, held the WBC cruiserweight title from 2002 to 2005. He won the vacant WBC title in October 2002 with a tenth round stoppage of Vincenzo Cantatore in Lombardia, Italy. He defended the crown three times against world title challengers Ravea Springs, Louis Azile and Luis Andres Pineda.

Braithwaite lost a 12 round decision for the WBA Super World and WBC Cruiserweight titles in April 2005. In September 2005, Braithwaite was stopped in the fourth round of a WBA Fedalatin and WBC Latino cruiserweight title bout against future WBA champion Guillermo Jones.

In April 2007, Braithwaite made a comeback, knocking out Gustavo Enriquez in Florida. In July 2007, Braithwaite lost a 12 rounder in a failed bid to win the WBO cruiserweight championship from then champion Enzo Maccarinelli in Cardiff Wales.

In March 2008, in his second attempt to win the WBA Fedalatin and WBC Latino cruiserweight titles, Braithwaite knocked out the 14-0 unbeaten Yoan Pablo Hernandez in three rounds in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Hernandez went on to win the IBF Cruiserweight title by beating Steve Cunningham twice.

In July 2009, Braithwaite lost an IBF cruiserweight world title eliminator by 12 round decision to Steve Cunningham, who went on to win the vacant IBF Cruiserweight championship by stopping Troy Ross. In March 2010, Braithwaite stopped Adam Harris at 2:59 of the first round at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncaville, Connecticut.

Braithwaite debuted against Guyanese Olympian John Douglas in February 1997, weighing 173 pounds. He weighed 200 pounds for the Harris bout in 2010. Braithwaite weighed a career high 211 for the Cox bout. Cox, a fighter who has weighed in from a low of 162 pounds to a high of 250 pounds during his career, weighed in at 209 pounds for Braithwaite.

While Braithwaite’s career might not be over, the first round stoppage by Cox made it clear that Braithwaite has no future in the heavyweight division. Noteworthy cruiserweight champions such as Tomas Adamek, Evander Holyfield, Marco Huck, S.T. Gordon (who beat Trevor Berbick) and Jean-Marc Mormeck made a successful transition from cruiserweight to full-fledged heavyweight. Braithwaite could not.

Other CABOFE Title Bouts on the Guyana Card, WBC World Rankings at Stake. Winners Listed Below are May 2012 WBC World Cup Tournament Qualifiers

Dexter Marques UD 12 Orlando Rogers, Vacant WBC CABOFE Flyweight title
10-1-1 Marques was knocked down by the 5-13 Orlando Rogers in round seven.

Miguel Antoine UD 12 Antoine Lake, Vacant WBC CABOFE Lightweight Title

Elton Dharry KO 1 Selwyn Lett, Retains WBC CABOFE Bantamweight Title

Edmund DeClou TKO 9 Kevin Placide, Vacant WBC CABOFE Middleweight Title
Placide was down in the first round. Time of stoppage: 0:35 of the ninth.