Bowen scores exciting win on Barbican boxing card

Jamaican light-heavyweight boxer Jermaine Bowen stole the spotlight last Saturday night when he scored an exciting unanimous points victory over Sheldon Lawrence from Trinidad and Tobago, at the Barbican Beach Sports Complex on East Kings House Road, in a six-round contest.

Judges Ransford Burton and Clifford Brown both scored it 59-55 and 59-55, while judge Lindell Allen had it 58-56. This was the highlight of a seven-fight Pro-Am card, which also featured four bouts between boxers from Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. This ended with two victories each by the two countries. In the other fight on the card, Jamaica's Sakima Mullings scored a 2 minute 47 seconds fourth-round knockout victory over Courtney McCleave from the USA in what was definitely a mismatch.

The was shared between the Jamaica Boxing Board, who where responsible for the amateur portion of he card, and two new boxing promoters, I-Fight Promotions and Creative Sports and Entertainment, who had one pro-fight each. It was the start of a new experiment designed to ensure that there are more boxing events over the next 12 months. The cost of putting on regular boxing cards is said to be the main deterrent, so the promoters shared the costs with the board. Sponsors who also assisted were Usain Bolt's Tracks and Records, Locker Room Sports and Stoneleigh Coffee.

Bowen, who went into the bout with a 1-3 record, was seen as the underdog because his opponent had a 6-0 record, with five knockouts. After a brief feeling-out process,

Lawrence, who is a south-paw, made it clear that his aim was to knock out his opponent with body shots. He therefore kept the action at close range, and the Jamaican had to use a tight defence to weather the early storm.

Battle of wits

In the second round, Lawrence tried to resume where he had left off, but Bowen kept on the outside this time, and used his jabs to good advantage. It then turned out to be a battle of wits, and Bowen's jab eventually turned out to be the superior weapon. He cut Lawrence over the left eye in the fifth round and referee Owen Nelson asked Dr AndrÈ McDonald to take a look at it. He allowed the fight to continue. Both men were winded at this stage and into the final round, and Bowen came away with a hard-earned but decisive victory.

Mullings, at 18 wins and two losses, went against an opponent with one win and three losses and toyed with him all the way. McCleave, who does not have much boxing skills, was knocked down in the third and then knocked out in the fourth with a flurry of body shots.

The amateur bouts were well contested. Two Jamaicans met in the first, and Collel Hogg ended his bout with Samuel Grant in the third round by technical knockout. There was a female bout between two boxers who are new to the sport, where Chambria Dolhouse from Cayman won on points over Keron Thomas. Young Daniel Hylton, who is a very talented boxer, won on points over Alexander Smith from Cayman in a junior light welterweight contest, Jamaica's Ricardo Carter outclassed Cayman's Eduardo Montalvo in a lightweight contest, and in the final bout, Cayman's Dariel Ebanks outpointed Jamaica's Alando Lewis in a light heavyweight contest.