Guyanese boxer Charwin Estwick pulled off the biggest upset of the Wray and Nephew 2016 Contender series on Wednesday night when he defeated American Daniel Powell by unanimous decision at the Chinese Benevolent Association auditorium.
Judges Laurence Neufville and Lindell Allen scored the five round fight 49-46, while judge Eion Jardine had it 48-47.
Because of his 11-0 record, which included nine victories by knockout or technical knockout, Powell was seen as the favourite to win, as Estwick went in with a record of only two previous fights, both of which he lost.
At the weigh-in on Wednesday, however, Estwick, who had to take off weight to get to the 147-pound welterweight limit, declared, "I am not intimidated by his record because records do not win fights. Fighters do, and I am going to win this fight."
These words proved prophetic, as Estwick went on the attack from the opening bell, and his awkward southpaw stance clearly confused Powell, who never really got going. He was the better technical fighter, but it was Estwick who did the scoring, and the judges awarded him for his efforts.
Estwick was busy right from the start, and threw a lot of punches to both the head and body. His work rate was impressive, but the cool, orthodox Powell gave the impression that it was just a matter of time before he took over. His jabs looked good and he scored primarily to the head, but it was Estwick who won the round.
Powell was decisive at the start of the second round, and a good right hook to the head gave a glimpse of what he was capable of. He landed more punches in this round and took it comfortably, but Estwick came out blazing in the third round, and his superior work rate and quick flurries gave him the edge.
Estwick also had a good fourth round, but in the fifth, he started to fade as Powell put pressure on him. Estwick suddenly seemed vulnerable, and it was at this stage of the fight that his defensive side was seen, and he was able to weather the storm to the final bell.
With all the quarter-finalists in place, seeding of the top four boxers took place. American boxer Demarcus Coley was seeded at No. 1 and Caribbean boxers Tsetsi Davis, Richard Holmes and Ramel Lewis were seeded second, third and fourth, respectively. They then drew their opponents, and Lewis will meet Michael Gardener in the first quarter-final bout next week.
In the two amateur bouts on the card, Sherine Williams from the St Thomas Boxing Club scored a technical knockout (injury) second-round victory over Nyoka Hewitt from the Stanley Couch gym. Hewitt injured her right knee and had to be assisted from the ring for medical attention. In the second bout, Fabian Tucker from Sugar Olympic gym scored a unanimous decision over Nico Yeyo from Stanley Couch gym.