Fancied fighters retain titles

By Charmaine Austin, Staff Reporter

Oville McKenzie of Stanley Couch Gym (left) blocks a punch from Patrick Miller (Dome House Boxing Club) in their open class middleweight semi-final bout in the National Boxing Championships at Utech on Saturday night. Miller advanced to the final and beat Patrick Taylor to take home the gold medal. - Rudolph Brown

CHAMPIONS remained true to form when the National Boxing Championships ended at the Alfred Sangster Auditorium, Utech on Saturday night.

New stars also shared the spotlight as Lloyd Campbell of recently opened Phoenix Boxing Club took the honours as best novice boxer.

Referee Peter Richards stopped the contest seconds into the first round of the encounter as Campbell mercilessly pummelled fellow newcomer Darren Weir of Olympic then finished him off by issuing a right hook that sent the latter to the canvas.

Caribbean senior light welterweight champion Sheldon Rudolph retained his title in that division, clobbering Caribbean light welterweight novice champion Hosea Stewart.

Stewart was the first to get a point in the contest but after much battering and two eight counts, referee Dr Garth Officer had to intervene and stop the fight in the second of four rounds.

It was the same situation when former Caribbean welterweight champion Tsetsi Davis and Olympic's Ricardo Green met.

Green who had earlier fought and defeated Ricardo Planter on points, was unable to go the distance against Davis and had to settle for the silver medal.

In the exciting junior final, Caribbean light flyweight champion Tarique Francis had to go the distance of three rounds to beat Nicholas Walters of Smoking Job Gym on points (19-18).

In other events, Edgar Hanson of Stanley Couch floored Otis Anderson of Stanley Couch to take gold in the middleweight novice final.

Rohan Alexander of Olympic beat Anthony Thompson of Stanley Couch for the light heavyweight novice title while David Williams (Stanley Couch) stopped team-mate Damion Swaby in the third of four rounds for top honors in the light middleweight novice division.

The other open class fights were tame in comparison to the rest.

Lightweight Ryan Stone (Zodiac) proved superior to Anthony Williams (New Market Oval Gym), Clement Rose (Dome House) beat independent boxer Anthony Black in the light heavyweight final, Patrick Miller (Dome House) defeated gym-mate Patrick Taylor on points in the middleweight final while Rudolph Hedge (Smoking Job) took the bantamweight gold with Kelvin Chambers (Zodiac) copping the bronze.

Sectional awards went to Francis (Best Junior Boxer), Rudolph (Best Open Class Boxer and Boxer of the Tournament), Walters (Most Courageous Boxer and Courtney Simister of Dreamscape (The President's Trophy).

Three exhibition bouts were a part of the card.

Lloyd Smith of New Market Oval Gym beat Clifton Lewis while Kelvin Chambers of Zodiac Boxing Club stopped Andre Daley of Olympic.

Nigcol Fraser of GC Foster Boxing Club got past Dukie Rowe of Stanley Couch by a walk over. Rowe failed the turn up for the third fight.

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