Exciting boxing champs includes controversy
Forty of Jamaica’s best novice and elite boxers, both local and overseas-based, turned up at Stanley Couch Gym for the Jamaica Boxing Board’s three-day National Senior Championships last week.
According to many of the spectators who filled the venue, it was by far the most organised and exciting championships for a long time, notwithstanding the disqualification of one of Jamaica’s best hopes for a medal at this year’s Olympics. The championships was a qualifier for the Olympics.
All the fights on the final night were finals. The 7:00 pm scheduled start did not get under way until after 9:00 as the ring was wet due to afternoon rains at the outdoor fight venue.
The first fight of the night went to novice lightweight Juesere Heron of Stanley Couch Gym on points over Antonio Webster of Savlamar.
The second fight picked up the tempo and was considered the most exciting fight of the night, as featherweight (57kg) Marvin Shae of Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Gym went down to Sanji Williams of Bruising Gym by way of unanimous decision. Williams went on to be named the most outstanding fighter of the championships.
Another JDF fighter went down as well when lightweight (63kg) Damion Williams succumbed to overseas-based Trevor Thompson, who fought under the banner of Stanley Couch Gym. Thompson punished Williams in the first round and had him on the ropes several times. Williams came out fighting in the second round but was neutralised by Thompson, who used his reach advantage to good effect and eventually won the bout.
The most-anticipated bout of the night was up next, between Jamaica’s Caribbean champion, elite welterweight (69kg) Joshua Fraser who trains in Canada, and Jameer Edwards of G C Foster Gym. Edwards came out swinging and hurt Fraser in the box area during the first round. This rattled him and made for a very ugly round as both fighters tried to gain the advantage. The second round was no better and Fraser received a number of cautions from referee Kevin Stupart eventually disqualified him midway the round for unsportsmanlike behaviour.
The night’s proceedings halted for a while as there was general dissent about the decision. The boxer exited the ring before the decision was announced and the crowd protested loudly. Fraser’s father and trainer Dewith Fraser was not happy with the decision.
He thought that the referee could have handled the action in the ring differently and said that it was not the end of the road for young Fraser regarding qualifying for the Olympics, as he was hopeful there would be at least one more opportunity for him to qualify.
Another Olympic hopeful, Jonathan Hanson of Stanley Couch, lost to Damion O’Neil in a middleweight (75kg) showdown. Hanson got the first round but was punished in the second round as he spent his time guarding his face. The final round saw him continuing to take punches while not giving back enough, ending in a split decision of 2-1 in favour of O’Neil.
The penultimate bout of the night was an easy win for Keron Gilpin of Bruising Gym over Renaldo Beckford of Oracabessa. The light heavyweight Beckford guarded well but refused to throw punches. He put on a brief show at the start of third and final round but went back to his nick name “Sleepy” to hand a unanimous decision to Gilpin.
The heavyweight matchup between Omar Campbell of Bruising Gym and Jermaine Richards of Stanley Couch was a mismatch as Richards had no answer to Campbell’s punches in the first two rounds. Richards’ corner, led by Coach Shrimpy Clarke, retired the boxer at the end of the second round and ended his punishment in the ring for an anti-climactic end to the night.
At the end of the championships Stanley Couch was declared the top gym with 24 points, followed by Bruising Gym on 23 points, while JDF was next with 17 points.