Alexander, Paul, Fermin win Caribbean bouts

TT boxers earned three victories, out of five bouts, on the second day of the Caribbean Boxing Championships, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, Guyana. Andrew Fermin, Nigel Paul and Michael Alexander were all in winners' row for the TT contingent on Friday.

Fermin, in the heavyweight category, had to use all his experience and know-how to overcome the challenge of Grenada's Dariel Sylvester.

Fermin, on the comeback trail, baited Sylvester throughout the fight, before landing some big punches.

Paul, TT's lone boxer at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, took two minutes and 30 seconds to dispose of another Grenadian, Shevon Lewis. In a super-heavyweight clash, Lewis survived three standing-eight counts before the referee stopped the fight.

Alexander, a 2014 Commonwealth Games lightweight bronze medallist, squared off against Guyanese Colin Lewis in a super-lightweight duel.

The first round went Alexander's way as he relied on his flair and slippery movements in the ring, but Lewis battled back in the second round, landing a number of punches on the tiring Alexander.

Both boxers went for broke in the third and final round, with Alexander stunning Lewis with a left hook, but Lewis returned with a solid combination. It was left to the judges to decide that Alexander did enough to emerge victorious.

One of the TT boxing pair to suffer defeat on Friday was light-heavyweight John Korrie.

The rookie pugilist went toe-to-toe with Guyanese Astion Niles in the first round, but it was a different story in the second round, with Niles, buoyed by his cheering home fans, turning on the heat on Korrie.

Korrie received two eight counts and the referee was forced to stop the fight.

In the final TT-Guyana contest on Friday night, TT's Shawn Joseph was defeated on points by Kevin Allicock, in a bantamweight bout.

Joseph, back in action after an 18-month hiatus, was engaged in a slug-fest with Allicock. But Allicock's power and skill was enough to guarantee him victory in the end.