Jamaica face Panama in 6-bout
Wray and Nephew in association with the Jamaica Boxing Board of Control has embarked on a bold step to improve and support the boxing culture in the inner city communities and in parishes.
To show intent, the associates will begin the process by hosting the first in a series of community boxing events with a pro am international friendly six-bout card of four amateur bouts and two professional bouts at the Barbican Beach, Barbican, today starting at 7:00 pm.Jamaica amateurs are in the process of fine-tuning preparation for the World Championship Box-off in Honduras next month and which Caribbean boxing nation is better suited than Panama to assist Jamaica with its planned development.Panama is one of the leading countries in amateur boxing and to assist Jamaica with its planned preparation both countries will play international friendlies against each other on a home and away basis.On tonight’s amateur card four Jamaican prospects for the World Championships Box-Off will tackle four accomplished Panamanian boxers in the lightweight (two fights), middleweight and super heavyweight categories. Sanjay Williams of Jamaica will take on Lionel Gutterrez in one lightweight bout, while Marvin Shea will come up against Johnathan Miniel in the other lightweight clash of the evening.Janathan Hanson will then take on Panamanian Luis Hernandez in the middleweight class, while the big clash of the evening will see Ricardo Brown of Jamaica fisting it out against Ronaldo Bermudez in what is anticipated to be the most punishing amateur contest for the evening in the super heavyweight.Added to this, two professional fights involving Jamaican boxers will complete the evening’s programme with Fabian Tucker facing Neco Yeyo in one middleweight contest, and the promising Kesta Davis facing off against the veteran puncher Anthony Osbourne in the evening’s feature bout.In amateur heavyweight action both Brown and Bermudez are gunning for a victory. “That is my main purpose of being here,” Bermudez told the
Jamaica Observer through his interpreter Enrique Victoria, First Councellor at the Panamanian Embassy in Jamaica on Thursday on arrival at the Norman Manley Airport.Brown was no less confident: “I am going in there to win. But win or lose I am going to enjoin myself. I have been preparing well and the public should expect a good showing from me.”National amateur team coach Gilbert Vaz told the
Observer yesterday that: “While Panama is ahead of Jamaica in its amateur development we in Jamaica have been making steady progress and with the main objective in amateur boxing is to hit and avoid being hit, I think we will give a very good account of ourselves in our home and away encounters.”