The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

LENNOX Boyce successfully defended his welterweight title as he pulled off a close decision over Grand Bahamian Trey Davis in the main event of the Champion Boxing Club’s 21st Ray Minus Sr End of the Year Amateur Boxing Show.

Originally 10 bouts were scheduled to make up the card that closed out the year at the Nassau Stadium Saturday night. But due to the absence of some of the boxers, only four took place.

Boyce, hailed by Ray Minus Jr as the next Olympian in 2020, had his hands full with Davis as he got off to a slow start in the first round. But in the second round, the 15-year-old Boyce, who weighed in at 142 pounds, was the aggressor in the second round and he took the fight to Davis. The 16-year-old Davis, who weighed 140 lbs, came out jabbing in the third, but Boyce was able to work his way inside with his combination to eventually seal the deal.

“I trained every day, night and day and I train hard and pray harder,” Boyce said. “My game plan was to be ready for anything. I have a great coach in Ray Minus Jr, who pushed me along the way, so I knew it was up to me to get the job done in the ring.”

As the match got underway, Boyce said he was cautious because he wanted to see how Davis would react to his jab, but he knew that the final two rounds were going to be a “piece of cake.”

In the second round, Boyce said he realised that Davis couldn’t take “too much of the left hooks,” so he just “walked him down.” After the fight, Boyce, who improved to 9-2, said he felt so great that he could “go another three rounds.”

Davis, his corner and the spectators all felt that he was robbed of the decision.

The fight was the most anticipated on the card, but the other two bouts drew just as much excitement.

Davon Marshall (Lion-Heart Boxing Club) defeated Wellington Sears Jr (Champion Boxing Club)

Both fighters came in evenly matched at 145 pounds, but Marshall had the height and the reach advantage, which eventually made the difference in the final outcome.

Sears, the older of the two at 25 years, took the fight to Marshall in the first round and appeared to be on his way to an easy victory. Every time he tried to land a shot, referee Talbot Wells had to step in and warned the 20-year-old Marshall. But after getting some instructions from coaches Valentino Knowles and Stevie ‘the Heat’ Larrimore in the corner, Marshall settled down and he was able to counter-attack Sears when he came in.

In the third round, both boxers connected with shots to the head, but Marshall managed to use his lanky frame to keep Sears at bay to pull off the close encounter.

“First of all, I want to thank my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ for this victory,” Marshall said. “The fight was pretty good. He was a pretty good fighter.”

Marshall, a student at Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI), admitted that in the first round, he was not sure what to do and after he got the instructions from his corner, he did what he had to do to win. “I feel good it,” said Marshall, who has been in the sport for just over a year.

Sears has called for a rematch.

Johnny Gue (Champion Boxing Club) defeated Cameron Sweeting (Lion-Heart Boxing Club)

Making his debut, Gue used an awkward stance that made it difficult for Sweeting to land any serious blows. For the three rounds, the two fighters tangled in the middle of the ring exchanging blows. But in each round, Gue was able to get the majority of the punches off with his jab and he stayed ahead on points to pull off the victory.

“It was a good fight. This was my first one and so I think I did pretty good,” said Gue of his debut. “I was very happy with it.”

The 23-year-old Gue, who has been in and out of the gym training, said 18-year-old Sweeting posed a good challenge, but he was more focused on what he had to do and he came out on top. While Gue came in at a lighter weight at 156 pounds, he didn’t allow the 165-pound Sweeting to intimidate him.

The show closed out with Erby Filsame defeating Jaden Lockhart.

Minus Jr said although they only had a limited amount of fights, he was pleased with what transpired.

“All of the fights went the distance and the guys fought very hard to win,” he said. “The most outstanding fight was the main event. The champion defended his title, but the Freeport fighter came and stood his ground and fought back. Lennox Boyce is a fighter who tries to get you out of the ring in the first round. But it turned out to be a very tough match.”

As to the best fight of the night, Minus Jr said it was between Gue and Sweeting with “both boxers putting on a really good show.”

He noted that the Nassau Stadium, once the site for many major boxing and international wrestling matches, is expected to get some financial support from the Bahamas Government to help Charlie Major in revitalising the spot where they can eventually host some more big fights in the future.

Minus Jr thanked his sponsors, D’Albenas Agency, who was in his corner for the past 25 years, Commonwealth Bank, JBR Building Supplies, Ron’s Electric, Wallace Whitfield and Co, The Sports Centre; Bahamas Vision Centere, Da’Jarvou Beauty Supplies, Doc’s Pharmacy and Original Patties, the last two who have also supported the club for a number of years.