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Frazer has three-year plan for boxing career

Published:Sunday | April 10, 2022 | 12:15 AMLivingston Scott - Gleaner Writer

Referee Yvon Goulet (centre) raises the hand of Jamaican boxer Joshua Frazer (left) who defeated Luis Gonzalez by knockout at 1:57.00 minutes of round one in their fight scheduled for four rounds in Canada at the end of March.
Referee Yvon Goulet (centre) raises the hand of Jamaican boxer Joshua Frazer (left) who defeated Luis Gonzalez by knockout at 1:57.00 minutes of round one in their fight scheduled for four rounds in Canada at the end of March.

AFTER WINNING his first three pro fights by way of knockouts, Canada-born Jamaican boxer Joshua Frazer is already being touted as a genuine prospect for a super welterweight title.

Frazer is ranked 843rd in the world. However, trainer and father, Dewith Frazer, revealed they are targeting a top-five ranking for the 28-year-old in three years and he expects his current position will improve significantly by the end of the year.

“We see nothing to stop him and by the end of the year, we are hoping for at least eight to 10 wins.

“Then after this year, we will look to see what changes we must make to progress and move on because we have a three-year plan to be in the top five in the world.

“So by the end of the year, I expect him to make the top 75 and then we can look at moving up to the top 20 at the start of the new year,” he said.

Joshua has been devastating since he transitioned into professional boxing.

On debut he had a technical knockout (TKO) win over Pablo Acosta. In his second fight, he defeated Miguel Suarez, also by TKO, and against Luis Gonzalez two Saturdays ago, he floored his opponent in only the first round of the contest.

Dewith believes Joshua’s ability is much better than the story his ranking tells and as a result his promoters are eager to push for an early title challenge for the boxer.

However, Dewith believes in doing things right and he wants his son to build his résumé and status in the sport before making a push for a title.

“His promoters are basically asking what is the process we want to take. If we want to go for the title right away or if we want a long run. But there is no rush. I want to do this right, so when he becomes champion he will be a deserving fighter at the right time.

EAGER TO FIGHT

“He still has things to learn. He is still very eager to fight and I want to slow him down a little bit because I want to see him be a bit more cautious,” he noted.

Joshua has at least another six fights on the cards before year end, the next of which will be on May 28 in his home town, Brampton. This will also be his first six-round fight, with his other three being four round bouts.

However, Dewith foresees only an upward trajectory for Joshua at this stage.

“Joshua is scheduled to be busy this year. You will have about six to eight fights. He has gone three fights and three knockouts and we analyse each fight and see what needs to be corrected,” he said.

However, to correct these faults one needs a competent sparring partner, which young Frazer, known as ‘Hell Raiser’, is finding difficult to come by because of his reputation as a hard hitter in Canada.

Nevertheless, his father assured that they are doing what it takes to ensure he gets the best possible preparation.

“We are trying to get a sparring partner, and although Canada do have boxers they do not want to fight with him because he is so unique, so we are going to hire an American to come and work with him,” he said

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com