Cayman boxers to compete regionally
(L-R) Boxers Dariel Ebanks, Thase Watler, Brandy Barnes and Blayze Wood
(CNS Local Life): Four amateur boxers from Cayman are heading off this week to an invitational in St Maarten. The “Battle of the Islands Tournament”, scheduled to take place from 31 May until 3 June, has been arranged by the president of the St Maarten Boxing Association to enable the Caribbean to have some necessary regional development.
Mike Laurenson, Cayman Islands Boxing Association (CIBA) vice president and owner of sponsor Elite Marble and Granite, said of the tournament, “In the wake of competition like the Commonwealth Games which we just attended, young boxers from countries like England, Scotland and Australia, have opportunities to box different people almost every week.
“In Cayman, and indeed the rest of the Caribbean, we are at a disadvantage because our young athletes do not have the same variety of competition that the bigger nations have. While it is very expensive for our young team to travel to invitationals like this, it is crucial that they are given as many opportunities to build their records as possible.”
He added that his company is happy to contribute to helping the young boxers build towards the 2020 Olympics and beyond. “CIBA’s current strategy has been to put our on-island events on a bit of a back burner so that we can give a wider range of novice boxers opportunities to attend foreign camps and competition to increase their experience,” Laurenson said. “However, we are hoping to be able to showcase what they have learned in an on-island Elite Marble and Granite Fight Night event very soon.”
The boxers travelling to the invitational are veteran amateur Dariel Ebanks, who is keen to keep developing his technique having just returned from the Commonwealth Games; Brandy Barnes, who also just returned from the Ganes and is eager to improve her record; novice Thase Watler, who first competed for Cayman last December in the Caribbean Championships and has been training hard for his second opportunity at international competition; and novice Blayze Wood, who will be representing Cayman internationally for the first time, having been training in the gym for a number of years.
The trip is being entirely funded by CIBA’s major sponsor Elite Marble and Granite.
