Caymanian boxers’ hopes of 2028 Olympics could take a hit

Boxers in the Cayman Islands with dreams of going to the Olympics in four years, question if that is even possible amid the controversy surrounding the International Boxing Association and the International Olympic Committee.

Christopher Hurlston and Alec Lopez, the top two Caymanian fighters, joined many boxers worldwide in hoping that politics wouldn’t prevent athletes from being in the ring for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“Honestly, I still haven’t fully processed it yet because I don’t know for sure if boxing will be in the Olympics. It would be sad if it isn’t,” Lopez told the Compass.

A decision on boxing’s inclusion in the next Olympics must be made in 2025, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said earlier this month.

“We cannot wait longer than the end of next year,” Bach said during a press conference when asked when the IOC would decide on the sport’s inclusion for Los Angeles.

The boxing competition in Paris was run by the International Olympic Committee after it stripped the International Boxing Association (IBA) of recognition last year over its failure to implement reforms on governance and finances, with the latter reportedly tied to Russia.

That reprimand came on the heels of the committee suspending the IBA in 2019 over reported refereeing and ethical issues, shutting it out of running boxing events at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

‘Make it work’

“In my opinion, I personally think that boxing will be in the Olympics,” an optimistic Hurlston told the Compass, despite the situation not looking promising.

The dreams of many boxers, however, could be saved by World Boxing, which was launched in 2023.

World Boxing currently hosts 37 national federations across every continent, including its latest four – Italy, South Korea, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands – but that number is still far fewer than the IBA, which comprises more than 100 countries.

“Hopefully, all the organisers and everyone involved will get together and make it work because that will take away the dream, if boxing isn’t in the Olympics,” Hurlston added.

For Alva Suckoo, the Cayman Islands Elite Boxing Federation president, World Boxing will fulfil its mission of keeping boxing at the heart of the Olympic movement.

“By partnering with World Boxing, we are ensuring that our athletes have a clear and supported path to represent us in the Olympic Games,” Suckoo said.

Overcoming fights in Cayman first

Though there is much uncertainty internationally, Lopez, Hurlston and many other hopefuls will continue training, but there is another barrier to reaching the ultimate goal, according to Lopez.

“Right now, it’s about getting fights and getting to events, but there is always some politics in the way preventing, not just me, but other boxers trying to compete,” Lopez said, accusing Cayman’s federation of bias.

“I think there is a lot of work that needs to be done for Cayman to make it to the biggest stage,” Lopez said. “We need to have a national tournament. That’s how they do it in other countries, and the winners of that should make the national team, but right now I feel like there are a lot of persons going behind people’s back trying to sabotage others.”

Suckoo refuted claims that the federation is trying to prevent local athletes from progressing.

“That is absolutely not the case,” Suckoo told the Compass. “They know the process. If you want to compete overseas, then bring the entry forms to me. They have spoken about funding, but that’s the club’s responsibility. We help where we can, but not under every single circumstance.”

Furthermore, Suckoo noted that his team is planning a national championship within the next few months.

Though Suckoo said the new federation is changing things, Hurlston, who returned home in June after training and competing in England over the past year, said nothing is different.

He said, without the correct structure, the Cayman boxing scene will be detrimental to fighters.

“I come here, and I see nothing has changed,” Hurlston said. “I see Philmore [Barnett] here and he is the only person that knows what he is doing.”

More clubs needed

Though Cayman’s federation has made strides this year in hosting more fight nights after going 31 months without action, Hurlston believes the local boxing scene is not close to what it should be for amateurs to gain the right experience.

“In England, I got 12 bouts in a season compared to Cayman; they’d be lucky to get three fights in a year,” he said.

Christopher Hurlston punches his way to monumental title win

Suckoo agreed with Hurlston about the frequency of bouts, but said the federation isn’t to be blame for the limited fight nights.

“He’s right, but it isn’t necessarily our fault,” Suckoo said. “The issue is, we don’t have enough clubs. We can’t have fighters competing against each other constantly.

“We need more competition, and that’s why we have brought in fighters from the Bahamas and Barbados this year. So, we are looking for the opportunity, but we need people to form more clubs.”

Currently, Cayman has only two boxing teams – from the D. Dalmain Ebanks Boxing Gymnasium and the Performance Lab.

Hurlston focused on Olympics

But Hurlston said he can only focus on himself and that is what he plans to do when he heads back to England.

“I was meant to go professional this year,” Hurlston said, noting that after he saw his countryman Jordan Crooks at the Olympics, he decided that staying an amateur and competing for Cayman was not only the best option, but if all worked out, he would be a history maker.

“Just seeing Jordan bring everyone together and the support, I’ve never seen anything like that in Cayman,” he said. “Next time around, I’m going to the qualifiers, 101% for sure.
“I want to be the first to bring a medal home.”