Cayman’s newest amateur boxers will get their first taste of in ring action at the fourth Caribbean Junior and Schoolboys Championships held 16-18 August at the Cliff Anderson Hall in Georgetown, Guyana.
Competing at Lightweight is 16-year-old Charlie Lopez-Nixon. The St. Ignatius student says he has been training for a year, and hopes to come out on top in his debut bout.
“I’ve always watched boxing, and wanted to be in it,” said Lopez-Nixon. “I never really had an opportunity to come and train, but I found the gym, took a chance, and here I am. I’ve been working on building up my stamina, technique and doing lots of cardio. I played a lot of sports, but I’ve never done boxing. Once I tried it out, I found myself fit for it, and continued. I feel privileged to represent the Cayman Islands. I am hard working, determined and motivated.”
CIBA National Coach Floyd Trumpet says although new to the ring, Lopez-Nixon has the ability to medal in Guyana.
“I expect Charlie to do well,” said Trumpet. “His moves are unorthodox, which will cause problems for his opponents. I am expecting a good showing from Charlie though, if he does what we trained to do.”
Fighting at Super Heavyweight for Cayman is 15-year-old Deshane Vousden. The John Gray High School eleventh grader has represented the country with Cayman Rugby’s junior national team, but says he is now focused on being Cayman’s next destroyer on the national programme.
“I’m very aggressive, and I take it out in boxing,” said Vousden. “I’ve learned a lot from our coach. He’s taught me a lot, and I am very motivated to box. Sometimes, I come here at 5:30 in the morning, three times a day. I eat, breathe and sleep boxing. I want to be a pro, and in order to be a pro, you have to train hard. Coach always teaches and motivates me to work hard to achieve. I am prepared physically and mentally. I am work active than people my weight, so I know I’ll be good. I feel nervous, and I want to focus on winning the fight.”
“I am coming back with a gold medal,” he said.
After just six months of training, Trumpet agreed he has set the bar high for the big man’s debut, but hopes both boys will return with some hardware.
“Deshane will do very well,” said Trumpet. “He moves well, light on his feet. Any heavyweight that can move well, will do well. I am expecting gold from him, however, with all our expectations, the boxer has to go in there and do their job, and carry out our plan. If we do that, we will all be successful.”
Participating countries include host Guyana, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, Antigua & Barbuda, and Venezuela.
The event is being organized by the Guyana Boxing Association.
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