WALTER ALIBEY
T&T boxer Nigel Paul will be celebrated tonight at the now familiar ‘Tuesday Night Boxing at the Castle’ being put on by the T&T Boxing Association, Lay Management and the Pearl and Bunty Lara Foundation, the Ministry of Sports and the Sports Company of T&T.
Paul, who booked a spot in the Rio Olympic Games when he received a silver medal at the Americas Olympic Boxing Qualifiers in Argentina in March, will lead T&T in a duel with Bahamas from 7 pm when he faces Kieshno Major in a three-round Super heavyweight contest, the feature fight of a 10-bout card.
Also on tonight’s programme will be a clash between Anthony Shawn Joseph and Kendric Stuart of Bahamas in a 56kg contest, while Micahel Alexander will face Rudolph Regis in a 60kg fight.
Jean Paul Cooper will come up against Rashield Williams in a 64kg bout and Aaron Prince will meet Tyrone Oliver in a 69kg fight. Also on the card; Andrew Fermin will be up against Israel Johnson in an 81kg fight and Brendon Denise will have a date with Davon Hamilton in a 91kg bout.
Paul and Major have never met before but Paul will enjoy an advantage in height and reach, size and power his coach Floyd Trumpet said yesterday.
He dismissed concerns of his fighter being inexperienced, saying it is one thing he does not make too much of a problem. “Major was one of the fighters at the Americas Olympic Qualifiers last year and was beaten in the first round, while Paul made it all the way to the final after just 10 career bouts, so my main concern is that he will go into the ring and do his best,” Trumpet said.
Major, ranked 37th in the world after his successes at the Pan American Boxing Championship in Canada last year, may fancy his chances tonight as Paul is ranked 54th. He has been described as nippy with fast hands, having competed as a middleweight for many years.
Cricket legend Brian Lara, who celebrated his 47th birthday yesterday, said: “The news of Nigel’s qualification for Rio Olympics earlier in March was a proud moment for all Trinbagonians. When TNBC fight nights was first conceptualised and hosted in January, this was exactly the end result we had in mind, showcasing and promoting the sport and giving the boxers the platform and visibility to ply their craft to go to the pinnacle of such world events. These guys train and work hard, so to reap this reward is priceless for him and us as a sport loving nation.”