Punching above his weight can aptly describe one of Barbados’ most promising amateur boxers.
Flyweight Jabali Breedy showcased his precocious talent in outpointing Guyanese Travis Hubbard in one of the featured fights on the annual Carlton Hope/Lionel Hall Memorial Boxing Tournament staged at the Springer Auditorium Saturday night.
Breedy gave the small crowd a glimpse of some of what he has in his bag of tricks.
The tapestry included tremendous hand speed, great lateral movement, solid punches with both hands and a full dose of showmanship which kept his fan club happy.
It proved too much, though, for Hubbard, who isn’t a poor pugilist by any means but was simply outfoxed, out-thought and outfought even though he had the superior reach advantage. Breedy was able to subdue that weapon by boxing on the inside, evading attempted jabs by bobbing and weaving and then connecting with solid blows to Hubbard’s upper body and midsection.
He clinched the fight in the third round when a barrage of blows drew a standing eight-count. Once he rallied to the end, which he did without breaking a sweat, an affirmative result in his favour was certain.
Arkeem Isadore was way below his best and was unable to replicate the standard set by Breedy. He was easily brushed aside like flies on a table by Guyanese Markember Pierre. Inexplicably, Isadore was in a defensive mode from the first bell and hardly threw a punch of any substance.
This was the biggest disappointment of the night which generally gave us some good memories to take home.
Middleweight Cabral Barriteau-Foster enhanced his fledging reputation by outpointing Sherwin Estwick in a bout that had two distinct phases.
Phase one belonged to Estwick, whose early aggression forced Barriteau-Foster on the defensive and at times lured him into a street fighter mode which was out of character.
Perhaps Barriteau-Foster may have also been trying too hard to impress his parents, Hugh Foster, a consultant in the Ministry Of Tourism and Eudine Barriteau, deputy principal at the Cave Hill Campus. However, once he resorted to the ring technician he really is, phase two was his by some distance.
He took control from the middle of round two using his superior reach to jab Estwick into submission and by round three with his opponent tiring badly, Barriteau-Foster made it simple for the judges to declare him the winner.
Track and field’s loss seems to be boxing’s gain as Mary Fraser fought impressively to beat Faith Field. The former middle distance prodigy had too much technique, poise and confidence for Field in their flyweight duel and looks to have a bright future.
Her brother, Ision, made it a double for the family with an equally commanding triumph over lightweight opponent Akeem Farley.
In other bouts, light flyweight Stephen Harding was much too powerful for Joshua Field and clinched a technical knockout while middleweight Derek Hyman took the same route in dispatching of Reco Jones.
Top local female boxer Kimberley Gittens fell ill just before her match against Trinidadian Kimberley Jackson so we didn’t get a chance to see what kind of form she is in.
On reflection,it would have taken a lot to upstage Breedy who was voted Boxer Of The Night.
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