Dear Editor,

The late Michael Tingling waged a memorable boxing battle with Leroy Hardiman at the Crystal Palace in Orange Walk Town back in the days. He was in the employ of my late uncle, Ernesto Cuello, who had sponsored one of the best in Belize, David Dakers.

This was before these guys.

“Tingy,” as he was known, put up a good fight, but as Fitzroy Guisseppi (hope the spelling is correct) commented, “Tingy can’t tek knock in a ih head.” He went down after being caught twice in the head. The first one stunned him and the second one put him down. Can’t remember which round.

He was very good, but Hardiman was better. If he was younger, that racist in Chicago could never have hurt him.

A few weeks later, Hardiman and Shorty Clarke fought their “Smoking Joe vs Muhammad Ali” type war at the Crystal Palace in Orange Walk Town.

This level of professional boxing was very good, because the referee did not have to wait until one of the fighters was half dead to stop the fight; the doctor was there and the guys would get their cheddar.

“Tingy” was a cool guy. R.I.P.

Regards,
Romel Cuello