CARIBBEAN TODAY S PO0 R T Jamaican gets shot at world boxing title GORDON WILLIAMS Jamaican-born light heavy- weight Glen Johnson will get what could be his final chance at reclaiming a world boxing title when he fights American Chad Dawson in Tampa, Florida this month. The April 12 showdown at the St. Pete's Times Forum offers the Miami-based Johnson a shot at Dawson's World Boxing Council (WBC) crown. The 39-year-old Jamaican told Caribbean Today recently that he is fit and ready to bat- tle for the full 12 rounds if necessary. "All is a go," Johnson said. "Training is good. I can't complain." He also promised not just to take the 25-year-old Dawson's title, but punish his opponent as well. "Everything is sweet," Johnson said. "Pure lick the boy a go get." Meanwhile, manager Henry Foster backed Johnson's claim that the fight- er's preparations for the bout were going smoothly. "Glen is doing great," Foster told Caribbean Today recently. "His training is in full swing." According to Foster, Johnson was sparring up to three times a week in Miami leading into the champi- onship bout, but was expected to I, back" by the first week of April. Johnson's Johnson sparring part- ners were handpicked for their youth, power and especially speed to simulate the younger Dawson's style. "Everything is a little more quicker," the man called the "Road Warrior" said. LAST CHANCE? Johnson, the 2004 "Fighter of the Year" who once held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) crown for the 175-pound weight division, believes time may be running out for him to reclaim a world title. For that reason he set aside a title bout against Britain's Clinton Woods to take on Dawson. "Anytime you get a shot at the world title can be realis- tically your last," Johnson said. "We gave up our manda- tory IBF shot to take this one because it came before the Woods bout. Now we have to go out and capture the title. "This guy (Dawson) chose me," he added. "Now we'll just have to deal with him." The Clarendon-born fighter said he had no predic- tions for the Dawson fight. He plans to seek an early knock- out, but if that doesn't work he said he is ready to go the distance. The only object, he said, is to win, and for Johnson the title fight could not come soon enough. "This is an urgency from two years now, since we last lost the title in 2005," said Johnson. "The time for me is now, definitely. We're not looking towards tomorrow. April 12 is it." Gordon Williams is Caribbean Today's managing editor. 0 Caribbean clubs crash out of CONCACAF soccer GORDON WILLIAMS WASHINGTON D.C. The gulf between professional soc- cer in the Caribbean and United States was again exposed last month during the quarterfinal round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup (CCC) between American club D.C. United and Harbour View of Jamaica. The home and away tie, which featured four-time U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) champi- on D.C. United and Caribbean Harbour View Football Club's Ronny Amaguana, right, tries to escape from D.C. United's Fred. kings Harbour View ended in a lopsided 6-1 aggregate loss for the regional team, follow- ing a 1-1 draw in Kingston on Mar. 12 and a 5-0 drubbing at the RFK Stadium here on Mar. 18. After a spirited showing from Harbour View in the first leg, and a creditable first half here, the Jamaican champions crumbled under a stepped-up showing by D.C. United at home, conceded three goals within five minutes in the sec- ond half, and crashed out of the CCC. The second half swoon was indicative of the long road ahead for regional teams if they are to match their North American counterparts. "There's a big gap between us and the MLS up here," admitted Harbour View's coach Lenworth Hyde. SETBACKS D.C. United was expected to give an improved showing at home. Coach Tom Soehn lamented his team's pre-season rust in Kingston MLS began late last month -and also the unfavorable playing surface at the Harbour View mini-stadi- um. He looked forward to fan support at the RFK Stadium. But neither D.C. United nor Harbour View was at full strength in front of the 12,394 fans who showed up at RFK. The home team was without top striker Bolivian Jaime Moreno, who was injured in Kingston. Harbour View field- ed a team minus two starters, Rafiek Thomas and Kemeel Wolfe, from the first leg. Both were denied U.S. visas. Harbour View still boasted several Jamaica senior national players. Yet that could not stop a talented D.C. United club featuring several players from soccer hotbed South America, including Luciano Emilio, Franco Niell and Fred from Brazil, and Argentine Marcelo Gallardo. Emilio scored twice at RFK and Fred once. Devon McTavish, who got D.C. United's lone goal in Kingston, scored a double at home. Harbour View reached the quarterfinal after eliminating Joe Public from Trinidad and Tobago to become Caribbean champions. Gordon Williams is Caribbean Today's managing editor. 0 BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, CMC Jamaica's junior ath- letes produced another colos- sal display and strode to an unchallenged 24th consecutive medal-topping performance as the 37th CARIFTA Games last month. Propelled by champi- onship records from distance runners Natoya Goule and Kemoy Campbell, the Jamaicans won 11 of the 22 gold medals during the last session of the three-day meet at the Jubilee Stadium. They piled up 69 medals, comprising 29 gold, 25 silver *Caribbean bags four medals at World Indoors Bahamian Chris Brown and Jamaica's 1600-metre men's relay team boosted the English-speaking Caribbean's medal haul to four as the 12th IAAF World Indoor track and field championship ended last month. Brown took the bronze medal in the men's 400 meters in 46.26 sec- onds and Jamaica's men chased the United States to collect silver in the 4x400 meters relay. Their medal suc- cesses added to those of Kim Collins and Tahesia Harrigan, who had picked up silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the 60-meter sprint on the meet's opening day. * Jamaican Cummings scores in MLS Jamaican-born forward Omar Cummings scored a second-half goal to help the Colorado Rapids open the new Major League Soccer season with a 4-0 home victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy late last month. The 25-year-old Cummings, playing his second season for Colorado, scored the third goal for and 15 bronze to overwhelm the opposition again. Trinidad and Tobago placed second with 30 medals, 10 gold, 10 silver and 10 bronze, and The Bahamas col- lected eight gold, three silver, and 12 bronze to finish third with 23 medals. Barbados placed next on the medal grid in fourth place with 26 medals, seven gold, 10 silver and nine bronze, fol- lowed by Martinique with 14 medals (5-3-6), and Grenada with eight (3-2-3). 0 the Rapids. * Caribbean athletes win U.S. junior college sprints Caribbean athletes Ryan Brathwaite and Natasha Ruddock registered impressive wins in the sprint hur- dles at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Indoor Track and Field Championships in the United States last month. Both athletes posted meet record victories in the semi-finals before collecting gold in the finals. * Bahamas, Bermuda advance in World Cup soccer The Bahamas and Bermuda chose contrasting routes but still booked their places in the next round of the World Cup qualifying campaign late last month. While Bermuda trounced the Cayman Islands 3-1 to win 4-2 on aggregate, The Bahamas drew 2-2 with the British Virgin Islands to finish with a 3-3 tie on aggregate, advancing on the away goal rule. 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