Caribbean Light Flyweight champion Brandy Barnes successfully defended her title Sunday (9 December) at the 2018 Caribbean Amateur Boxing Championships held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall in Georgetown, Guyana.
Fighting at 48 kilograms, Barnes squared off against Guyana’s Joanne Williams, a traditional martial artist boxing in her first amateur bout.
After suffering a second round defeat in the preliminaries of the AIBA Women’s World Championships just two weeks ago, Barnes played the role of veteran boxer Sunday, peppering the Guyanese fighter into two standing eight counts until the referee stopped the bout 2:18 into the second round.
“My opponent came out strong in the first round, but eventually blew out,” said Barnes. “I was able to keep the pressure on her and landed multiple blows to the head and body.”
After a year that saw early loses to stronger competition at both the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and the aforementioned AIBA Women’s Worlds, the 22-year old says the win is a confidence boost ahead of a busy 2019 that will see her train in England’s amateur circuit ahead of the Americas Regional Qualifiers for the 2019 Pan American Games.
“I’m just happy that I get to finish the year off with a gold medal, which in turn, makes me feel relieved and rewarded about taking a break over the holidays.”
In a press release, Cayman Islands Boxing Association President Leyla Jackson said “Brandy continues to grow as an athlete. She has more stamina and strength than a year ago. She continues to build her skill, demonstrating faster hand speed, and a more effective defence.”
Add Comment
You must log in to post a comment.