Frazer goes for welterweight gold

Joshua Frazer, Jamaica’s 25-year-old amateur welterweight boxing champion, will fight for a gold medal tonight in Kielce, Poland, in the final of the Leszek Drogosz Memorial International Boxing Tournament. The tournament, which is an annual affair, is named for a former outstanding Polish amateur boxing star who was a three-time European champion.

Frazer, who is based in Canada and is trained by his father, Dewith, had his first fight on Wednesday in the quarter-finals and defeated Polish boxer Daniel Piotrowski by unanimous decision. He used his speed to good advantage, and his opponent was never able to make a fight of it. In the semi-final yesterday, against Sam Hickey from Scotland, he was again in great form, and seizing the initiative from the opening bell, he once more dominated his opponent and walked away with another unanimous decision after winning all three rounds.

TWO BEST BOXERS

Tonight, he goes up against a tough opponent, Marat Gashimov from Russia, who also had a good run into the finals. Frazer’s trainer told The Gleaner last night that he expects a hard fight but believes that his fighter “is in great form and boxing very well and has a great chance of taking the gold medal”.

“Joshua and his opponent tonight are the two best boxers in the weight class, and I expect a tough fight. Joshua has to fight smart, however, and if he does so, I think that he will win the gold medal,” Dewith Frazer said.

Frazer is one of the boxers that the Jamaica Boxing Board hopes will make it to the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year.

– L.B.