T&T's Olympic boxer Nigel Paul claimed a gold medal after beating Luiz Munoz of Peru in the heavyweight final clash of the Independence Cup in the Dominican Republic yesterday.
Paul, who was beaten at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by Nigerian Efe Ajagba in the first round, yesterday took no chances, as he went to town on his opponent from the opening round.
The victory came for him in the second round as the referee had to intervene to stop the contest. Yesterday manager Reynold Cox said he was pleased with the performance of his fighter.
"It was a good bout for us. It was the type of bout where he could have really expressed himself and do certain things, and that was important for us. He was able to go out there and get the match practice he would not get in Trinidad."
He added "It showed us where he is now on his development and improvement curve. Overall it was a good tournament for me because we were able to give everyone a taste of what to expect for the Pan Am Qualifiers in April, so I am pleased with the team's progress at this time and it's just to go home and do the homework for the next four to five weeks."
Paul's gold medal performance comes on the heels of a bronze medal by his teammate Michael Alexander at the same tournament only the day before.