The T&T national elite boxers proved their dominance over their game counterparts on the second night Friday, of Caribbean Championships, currently ongoing in Guyana.
Heavyweight veteran, Andrew Fermin fought a shrewd bout, baiting Grenadian Dariel Sylvester and then landing big punches in spurts. Though out of the game for some months, Fermin used experience and craft to comfortably take the unanimous decision.
Following up with another T&T victory was Nigel Paul, who outclassed an aggressive Shevon Lewis. Proving himself to be the superior boxer, Paul took just two minutes and thirty seconds to dismiss the efforts of the Grenadian super heavyweight, who suffered three standing eight counts before the referee saved him from further punishment.
Novice light heavyweight, John Korrie started his bout quite valiantly, giving a very good account of himself in the first round against Guyanese Astion Niles. However, he lost control of the bout in the second round as Niles seemed to gained encouragement from a packed stadium chanting his name. Both boxers were fatigued and the bout became a battle of wills rather than skills. Eventually, the referee decided that John had endured enough after two eight counts and stopped the contest.
In another good showing, T&T Michael Alexander faced local boy Colin Lewis in what was a highly anticipated contest. Alexander, a silver medallist at the 2018 CAC Games moved up one weight class and met a formidable opponent in Lewis. Using his usual flair and slippery movements, Alexander, a slick southpaw took control of the first round easily. The next round proved more of a challenge as the confident Guyanese came forward relentlessly to the satisfaction of the home fans, landing cleaner punches while Alexander seemed to fade a little.
However, the third round had an already loud crowd on their feet, as the Trinibagonian landed a devastating left that shook his opponent. But it was far from over as Lewis dished out a solid combination of his own. The bout see-sawed until the final seconds when Alexander made a very strong sprint to the end. The crowd was silent as everyone waited for the decision. The group in red erupted with cheers as Alexander's hand was raised, giving team T&T its third victory of the night.
The vociferous crowd barely had time to catch their breath as yet another T&T vs Guyana contest began. This time, Guyana's prizefighter, Kevin Allicock faced Shawn Joseph in a bantamweight contest. Joseph who recently came off an 18-month hiatus had a tough battle on his hands. The bout was action-packed, with Allicock gaining control early as the referee issued a standing eight count to Joseph in the first round. Weathering a storm of heavy punches, the visiting boxer fought his way back into the contest. It was a bruising battle for both boxers while they gallantly tried to end the night on a winning note for their country. In the end, Allicock proved to be the stronger, better-skilled athlete, taking the decision by points. Needless to say, Joseph's grit and determination won the respect of even the pro-Guyanese crowd.