Marcellin takes St Lucia to title; Barbados, Dominica shine

CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) – Lifted by victories by Boxer-of-the-Tournament, Lyndell  “The Russian” Marcellin and Nathan “Furious” Ferrari on the final night of competition, hosts St Lucia took overall honours as the Creole Boxing Championship wrapped up at the Beausejour Indoor facility here Saturday night.
St Lucia ended with 19 points, followed by Dominica with 14 points, while Martinique finished with 10 and Guadeloupe, six.
Barbados, one of five teams invited to the tournament, amassed 21 points while Antigua and Barbuda chalked up 15, St Maarten, five and St Vincent and the Grenadines, four.
Trinidad and Tobago managed two points.
Marcellin was also named Best Senior Boxer while Antiguan Amos Speide was voted Best Junior and Andy Nordene of Martinique, the Best Youth Boxer.
Barbadian Kimberley Gittens was the Best Woman Boxer while Martinique’s Nathaniel Joseph copped the prize for Best Novice.
On a night of finals, Marcellin won on split decision over Barbadian Jamal Edmund in a welterweight contest while Ferrari forced the referee to stop the contest in the second round of his light welterweight encounter against Antiguan Wynton Philip.
There were two walk-overs when Vincentian Keithland King got the gold medal in the middleweight class after his opponent failed to show and Barbadian Charles Cox also took gold on medical grounds over Rowain Christopher of Dominica.
In the heavyweight division, Antiguan Yakita Aska won a split decision over hometown boy Nyran David.
There was also success for Dominica and Barbados in the other bouts. In the welterweight division, Dominican Roderiquez Frederick won a split decision over Ludwig Charles of St Maarten while Delroy Jno Charles beat St Lucian Jehium Papius after the referee was forced to step in and halt the heavyweight encounter.
Barbados, meanwhile, tasted success through Gittens who snatched a split decision over  Hammoni Meriot of Guadeloupe in a welterweight match up; Jabali Breedy, who beat Keshan Jacoby-Koaly of Guadeloupe in a lightweight contest also on split decision; and Ajayi Jones who took honours over Dominican Simon Joseph after the referee stepped into to stop the bantamweight bout.