A camp is being planned in Europe for T&T’s Super Heavyweight boxing champion Nigel Paul, who earned a berth at the AIBA World Boxing Championship in Hamburg Germany from August 25-September 3.
Floyd Trumpet, Paul’s coach said yesterday that England will be their preferred choice for the camp since they have been producing lots of heavyweight fighters lately.
“If we do not go to England then we will be looking at Germany for the camp because Paul has been having serious problems getting sparring practice here in T&T and the Caribbean, as there is hardly any fighter in his category,” Trumpet explained to Guardian Media Sports.
Last week, Paul got a unanimous decision victory over Argentine Luis Calderon at the American Boxing Confederation Continental Championship in Tegucigalpa Honduras last weekend to secure a bronze medal and a place at the world championship.
He was the only T&T fighter to qualify after Aaron Prince was beaten by Juan Ramon Santos Solano of the Dominican Republic in the welterweight division and Brendon Dennis went down to Anthony Solano of Costa Rica in a heavyweight division clash.
Paul entered the tournament ranked third in the region, a position that propelled him among the top four fighters at the tournament where a clash with Calderon awaited him.
His victory has set a him on course for another world championship in only his two years of boxing.
Trumpet added that Paul’s team is in the process of completing a proposal and budget for the camp and are likely to receive the support of the Sport Company of T&T.
He, however, calls on corporate T&T to help his team arrange a trip to St Lucia from July 5-9 where the country’s top boxer can gain much needed practice at a boxing competition there.
“All we are looking for is two airline tickets and US$400 to cover the cost for accommodation and we will be fine.
“We have decided that we can sneak in a fight or two for Paul before he jets off to the world championship where the competition there will be very difficult,” Trumpet explained.