Nigel Paul, bronze medallist at the 2021 AIBA World Boxing Championships, recently made a stop in the Cayman Islands, where he reunited with his old coach Floyd Trumpet and offered encouragement and training to several local athletes.
The boxer, from Trinidad and Tobago, departed Cayman on Saturday, 21 May, after a couple of training sessions at the Performance Lab, where Trumpet is the lead boxing coach.
He also participated in several sparring rounds on 19 May at the D. Dalmain Boxing Gymnasium including with local boxers Jaden Eccleston and Caymanian Chris Hurlston.
“It’s really good to spar with him, he’s really good and he’s a really big guy, almost 300 pounds,” Eccleston told the Cayman Compass. “It’s not the best idea to take his hits but it’s good work and good experience.”
Paul, 32, has fought 28 professional bouts. He told the Compass that during his brief visit to Cayman he had helped train local fighters, while recovering from an injury and enjoying the island in his free time.
According to Paul, Trumpet is the man to identify boxing standouts, saying, “I know he has an eye for talent. So even working with the guys has been something special so far.”
He went on to offer advice to the up-and-coming talent going through the Cayman ranks.
“I’ve heard over the years that boxing isn’t for everyone,” Paul said. “It takes a special breed of person to be a boxer and someone even more special to be a supreme talent.
“It is a skill you can develop, as long as you have the mindset, the grit and, obviously, [are] around the right people who have the know-how to get you to that place that you want to be.”
Cayman has not seen a local boxing event in over a year due to COVID-19. In addition, after the government implemented regulations in late 2021 that restricted indoor contact, many boxers stopped training in local gyms.
However, with protocols now eased and foreign boxers visiting the island for training, action is starting to pick up.
“It’s really good,” Eccleston, the 2019 Caribbean Boxing Champion, said, “We’ve been training despite the setbacks, trying to stay motivated, not necessarily for fight preparation, but we just stay in the gym and kept fit.”
Many local boxers are hopeful that the Cayman Islands Boxing Association will host a Fight Night later this year.
As for Paul, he is hoping that he will get the green light after rehabbing to compete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
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