Local boxer Kendall Ebanks is currently training for some of the biggest fights in his life.
Ebanks, 20, is at the International Amateur Boxing Association training camp and accompanying world championships. The world’s largest amateur boxing programme is putting on the events in Baku, Azerbaijan with the camp taking place 9-21 September and the bouts scheduled from 22 September to 10 October.
Joining him will be renown American boxing coach Norman Wilson, who states he is adamant to support the West Bayer.
“I wanted to go to the training camp and be there,” Wilson said. “I can’t have no coach show me up. No one can get on your fighter’s butt like you can. As his trainer, I’m around Kendall all the time. I’ve been to so many camps now and I know what some of the other teams are going to do. Knowing those things I want make sure my fighter will focus.
“If you can’t learn from me, you can’t learn from no one. I’ve spent 40 years in the career of teaching boxing. If I can teach an 80 year-old and a six year-old then I can more than teach a 20 year-old.
“Kendall is working hard, he can do it. It’s up to him, not me or the other coaches. He has more to prove. He’s fast, quick and smart. That’s what I see he has going for him in the ring.”
Ebanks, who turns 21 in November, made history by being the first Caymanian to be invited by the association. He was selected at the Pan American Games trials in Ecuador and Panama. He will not be the only local fighter in Baku as middleweight Jesse Bodden and light heavyweight Dariel Ebanks are attending. Interestingly both young men are training partners for Ebanks.
The light welterweight, who started boxing back in 2007, was last in the ring in early August at the 11th annual Ringside World Championships in Kansas City, Missouri. After losing his first fight, Ebanks has been in Cayman training alongside young boxers like Chad Scott and revered fighter Charles ‘Killa’ Whittaker.
Ebanks states it has been great working with Killa.
“Nayon ‘Donie’ Anglin and Norman are going with me because I wanted to make sure they were there,” Ebanks said. “Training with Killa is really good. You can’t be slacking and he’s motivation because he knows how to win and he makes sure I do my part.”
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