GBA Terrence Poole Memorial National Intermediate Boxing

TWO Cuban boxers brought their ‘A’ game and plenty of Spanish-speaking supporters when the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) Terrence Poole Memorial National Intermediate Boxing tournament was held on Saturday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Watched by a small but raucous gathering, which included Guyana’s Director of Sport and President of the GBA, Steve Ninvalle, members of the Flying Stars Cycling Club and vocal Spanish-speaking fans, nine bouts were carded for the night.

The night’s best fight was the contest between Cuban Pugilist Li Kiam Amores, who faced off with Terron Wintz from the New Amsterdam Boxing Academy.

Fighting in the Elite 71kg, the Spanish fighter employed a crouching style and openly taunted the Berbician as the fighters traded punches, which Amores usually won.

The Cuban stayed flat-footed but caught his man with a left/right combination, a right hook to the head stunned Wintz, resulting in the referee administering a standing eight-count.

The two boxers went at each other, but Wintz seemed afraid of moving forward and survived the second stanza. In the final round, Amores hit Wintz with punches in bunches, staggering him with a crunching uppercut for another eight-count.

Now, beginning to dance around the ring, Wintz was hit with a clinical body dig. Wintz tried to counterpunch but got caught with a stinging flurry of good shots, causing the referee to stop the fight in two minutes and 42 seconds of the final round.

The other Cuban was clinical in his destruction of Policeman Alonzo Benedict, gaining a TKO in the first round, as both Cubans advanced to Sunday night’s finals of the 75kg division.

In the two finals of the night, Imhotep Vanderstoop of (ALBG) stopped Ukesh Persaud (NABA) in the second round of their schoolboys (29-32kg).

In the Junior 52-56kg final, Ryan Rogers (FYF) beat Cort Mahase, while in the semi-final of the Youth 62-64 kg, GDF’s Eon Bancroft beat Emmanuel Sandiford on points.

Police’s Osais Prince defeated GDF’s Malcolm by TKO in the first round of the 75kg semi-final.

In the 80kg semi-final, Chaka Stephens stopped P&P’s Kaiden Withers.

In the 86kg division, Adrian Adams (ALBG) stopped Barth Ignacio (Police) in the third round in an almost comical exhibition in which Ignacio lost his gloves while engaged in a hectic punch out with Adams.

In the night’s final bout, in another 86kg semi-final, Leon Murray beat Coby Lowenfield (Police) by TKO in two minutes and 10 seconds.