Canadians dominate Bajan fighters

On a night when the Canadian boxers generally outshone their Barbadian opponents, Jaquan Carty looked the class act on the Carlton Hope/Lionel Hall Memorial Tournament, staged at Cricket Legends of Barbados Complex, Fontabelle, St Michael on Saturday night.

Showing excellent lateral movement, good hand speed and a potent lead jab, Carty outmatched Barbadian Charles Cox in a light-heavyweight contest that brought the curtain down on proceedings. Cox showed a lot of promise but his poise tended to elude him late in the fight as the Canadian started to land more frequently and increasingly heavier punches.

To his credit, though, Cox was on his feet at the final bell.

This was not the case with the lanky Shakaun Lashley who was dropped to the canvas by Canada’s Jonathan Hannah in the first round of their middleweight contest. Lashley failed to use his considerable height advantage, and his speculative jab that carried little body behind it, was easily brushed aside by the constantly advancing Hannah. Nearing the bell to end the round Hannah caught him with a lovely, crunching right cross which put him on the seat of his shorts. He got up, but on jelly for legs, and after a few unsteady steps the referee did the obvious and ended the fight.

The best Barbadian boxer on show on the night was Ajayi Jones. His forte was speed – in abundance. And though his cockiness might get him in trouble against equally fast opponents in the future, Canada’s Michael Cabato was no match for him. Jones landed a few stinging blows with both hands and his speed seemed to confuse Cabato at times. However, the fight went the three-round distance that was the order of the night for all the bouts and Jones’ easy points decision surprised no one.

Barbados’ Iprecious Lythcott filled in at the last minute for Tiffany Delice who had issues with asthma over the weekend, and got the better of visitor Crista Aguinaido over the three rounds of their bout. Lythcott brought a cagey style to her contest where she would jab and avoid the advancing Canadian before delivering a flurry of punches as each round came to an end. And it worked for her.

Barbados’ Tyreec Taitt from the Belfield Gym acquitted himself well against Canada’s Max Tomines. But the latter was an obviously better drilled fighter and he showed it, especially with his ability to avoid the aggressive swings of Taitt. Tomines got the judges’ nod.

In an all-Barbadian affair Rashaun Holder of the Briar Hall Gym defeated Fight N Fit’s Joel Bishop while Canada’s Kyle Jordan easily out-pointed Barbados’ Justin Edwards.

In another all-Barbadian affair, Tricia Beckford’s aggression frustrated and eventually proved too much for Kemara Stuart to handle. Both fighters were representing the Belfield Gym.