Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

André Reid of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) throws a right hook to the head of his Trinidad and Tobago opponent, Enoch Romeo (left), in their super-heavyweight bout in the Burger King National Amateur Boxing Series at the Holy Childhood auditorium on Saturday night. Reid, who fought aggressively, won unanimously over four rounds. - Winston Sill/ Freelance Photographer

National champions Nicholas Walters and Ricardo Smith both impressed on Saturday night's final day of the newly-introduced Burger King Amateur Boxing Series, featuring the National Open Amateur Championships at the Holy Childhood auditorium.

Walters, the national featherweight champion, outboxed Shawn Wheatle of the Jamaica Defence Force in a light welterweight contest over four rounds, while Smith, the national welterweight champion, defeated old rival, Trinidad and Tobago's Aaron Hasette, in an interesting fight, using superior ring craft to gain the judges' favour.

Hasette, however, was not too perturbed by the loss: "We have beaten each other in the past and when better conditioned, I'll turn the tables," he promised.

Both Smith and Walters are looking forward to representing Jamaica in the Beijing Olympics in August.

Walters, who is trained by his father at the Job Walters Gym in Anchovy, St. James, said he was unable to fight in his division as none of the Trinidadians wanted to face him in either the featherweight of lightweight divisions.

"Because of this I had to step up to the light welterweight and go up against another Jamaican, Shawn Wheatle. I was really looking forward to meeting the Trinidadians an I won I'm a bit disappointed," said Walters.

"Right now I'm ranked as the best boxer in the Caribbean and a lot is expected of me this year. I am stepping up my training to peak for the Olympic trials in March, then take it from there," added the diminutive boxer.

Smith, who fights out of Andrew Boland's Hard Knocks Gym in Savanna-la-mar, Westmoreland, is trained by Boland, who predicted that the boxer would make it to the Olympics.

Light heavyweight contest

"The door is open and we're not taking no for an answer as we are knocking hard," he quipped.

Meanwhile, in the night's other bouts, the Trinidadians, accompanied by head coach Vincente Martinez, won three bouts and lost three.

T&T's Andrew Fermin punched Everton Eccleston, from the Stanley Couch Gym, into submission as their light heavyweight contest was stopped in the second round. The visitors also won the second lightweight bout through Alexi Alexander ahead of Kirmani Campbell from Job Walters Gym, but lost the deciding super heavyweight clash when Enoch Romeo, though technically a good boxer, had little answer to the onslaught of the burly slugger Andrew Reid (JDF) in the latter stages of their action-packed super heavyweight bout.

Another interesting contest (middleweight) saw 13-time national representative from G.C. Foster, Tsetsi Davis - a blacksmith at Caymanas Park -s outpunching his taller opponent Kevin White (JDF) in a middleweight bout and in the same division, JDF's Ricardo Brown outpointing David Williams from Stanley Couch. His team-mate Rayon Cole won the opening flyweight contest against T&T's Aaron Cumberbatch.

The two-day series kicked off with a six-fight card on Friday at the Stanley Couch Gym, Victoria Avenue, before moving to Holy Childhood. The series of seven switches to Ken's Wildflower in Portmore next month.

Jamaica Boxing Board president, William Tavares-Finson, said he was pleased with the good turnout and this could well be the start of the sport's revival. Associate sponsors were WISYNCO, Sun Island and the Sports Development Foundation.