Boxers get mixed results against London

By Cayman Sports Buzz
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Updated: 24 October 2016

Photo courtesy: Cayman By Catherine

Cayman’s boxers had mixed results during Elite Marble and Granite Fight Night 3 against fighters from Gumshield Gym in southeast London on Saturday night at Lions Centre, with Dariel Ebanks, Bruce Lee Coulson and Jason Parchment picking up wins.

Ebanks was the most impressive as he easily outpointed Ohio-Kain Ikharia in the feature bout of the night. Fighting in the super middleweight class, Ebanks started off cautiously and used his jab almost exclusively throughout the first round to keep his British opponent at bay.

The southpaw displayed his quickness in the second round, slipping and evading punches as Ikharia sought to land something to hurt the West Bayer. Ebanks kept control throughout the three rounds. The scorecards read 29-28, 30-27 and 28-29 in his favour for his 17^th amateur victory in 20 fights.

Ikharia later revealed he injured his left elbow sometime during the second.

“He’s a good fighter, hands down,” the Brit said. “Of the southpaws I have fought, he’s the most intelligent but when I went southpaw, he did have his faults as well but he did fight well.”

“He’s a really great opponent. He’s a strong guy. I had to use my head and be the smarter fighter tonight,” Ebanks said as he assessed his performance in the ring.

“I had to use my head. I decided to move around, slip and move and just keep that going and get my points in. Sometimes it’s not about being the stronger fighter, it’s about being the smarter fighter,” he said of the display in front of more than 300 spectators, among them Sports Minister Osbourne Bodden.

Meantime, Coulson kept his undefeated amateur record intact with a tough welterweight fight against Billy Jackson, who was vocally put off when the results were announced.

Jackson dominated the first round, which started at a frenetic pace. He landed his right seemingly at will but Coulson didn’t cave and rose to the challenge in the second. In the end, the judges had it 27-30, 28-29 and 29-28 with the Red Bay resident improving to seven wins and no losses, while Jackson lost for the first time in seven bouts.

“I wanted an opponent that would actually give me a run for my money. I like those fighters that come after me like that, someone who would push me to the next level,” Coulson told reporters when he returned to the dressing room.

Sporting a 3-2 record coming in, West Bay’s Jason Parchment came out aggressive and put Ronnie Mulock on the canvas with a straight right early in the first round. Mulock recovered well and kept the fight competitive.

Parchment was a bit too complacent in the second round and Mulock took advantage, although the Caymanian fighter later admitted that was due to fatigue brought on by his pace in the first round. A controversial standing eight count in the third round allowed Parchment to take the win despite the scores being even.

“I was fresh and has a lot of power in the first round…it was a clean shot. I hit him on his chin and he went down,” Parchment said of the knockdown. “It feels good. It always feel good to win.”

17 year-old Alexander Smith was more impressive than his debut three and a half months ago. He was visibly more active this time around when he faced Milo Tyson Reid in a lightweight bout. Despite the loss, Smith should feel good about the improvement he showed as he sets his sights on the Youth Commonwealth Games next summer.

Chambria Dalhouse (white/blue) lands a straight right against Tilly Cosgrove.

Chambria Dalhouse made her international debut against Tilly Cosgrove. The girls were evenly matched and this was reflected on the scorecards, which gave Cosgrove a slight edge 28-29, 29-28 and 29-28. Dalhouse, 16, should also be upbeat about her performance despite the decision.

In an exhibition earlier in the night, Dan Hewitt-Dean punched his way to a win over Darren Jackson in a light heavyweight affair. Both boxers were not afraid to let their fists fly but slowed noticeable in the third round as fatigue set in.

Dan Hewitt-Dean keeps Darren Jackson away with a jab.

Eduardo Montalvo stepped between the ropes with Blayze Wood for a friendly exhibition to open the card. What was in effect a light sparring session in front a crowd was due to Montalvo’s scheduled opponent not making the flight to Grand Cayman due to personal reasons.

Up next for Cayman’s boxers is a card against Jamaica in Kingston on 5 November.