All the talk leading up to the first-ever ‘Steven Ross Memorial Boxing Show’ was settled in the ring Saturday night, as Cayman fighters threw down in bouts with bragging rights implications, while others defended home soil against boxers from the Bahamas.
The fight night, held at Bevvy (the old Margaritaville hotel) in front of a sold-out crowd, proved to be one of the most exciting amateur boxing events in recent memory, with four TKOs, including a first-round stoppage.
The event kicked off with two exhibition bouts, before the first sanctioned amateur fight, featuring Cayman Brac’s Brion Walton taking on David Bodden. Despite Walton showing fortitude throughout the exhausting slugfest, Bodden was able to get the TKO with two seconds left on the clock in the final round.
Next up was the first of four bouts that featured athletes from the Performance Lab taking on those from the D. Dalmain Ebanks Boxing Gymnasium. Matthew Thompson of D. Dalmain cruised to a unanimous victory over Performance Lab’s Spencer Pandy. It was the first time both boxers had stepped into a ring.
The friendly rivalry between the two gyms continued into the third fight, which saw a back-and-forth scrap between the gym’s Lucas Tibbetts and the lab’s Isaiah Hurlston. The match ended in a controversial split decision in favour of Hurlston.
The next bout was another gym versus lab, only this time it was a white-collar throwdown between a pair of assistant coaches. Ben Ebanks got the win for the D. Dalmain gym over Martin Thomas, to the credit of a dramatic second round knockdown that resulted in a standing eight count for Thomas.
Bad blood
The much-anticipated fight between 17-year-old Caymanians Geno Brown and Alec Lopez had it all, with drama before, during and after the fight.
It was a match considered to be the ‘people’s main event’, featuring two of Cayman’s top fighters, with Brown going in undefeated at 2-0, while Lopez boasted a 5-2 record.
Lopez game plan was simple – stick and not get hit – one that evidently frustrated Brown throughout the fight. When the last bell sounded, Lopez was declared the winner via unanimous decision, but Brown showed his disapproval and so did the crowd, who began chanting “Geno, Geno, Geno.”
The situation escalated with the corners shouting at each other due to the lack of sportsmanship shown between the fighters. The Compass caught up with Lopez after the hostility settled.
“First, I want to say all glory to Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, I wouldn’t be here without him. I want to thank my parents and I want to thank my coach, Floyd Trumpet, and all the supporters,” Lopez said.
He noted that fans may not understand the rules and the sport of boxing but the objective is always to win by any means necessary.
“It’s a strategy and people may not like that,” Lopez said. “I landed a lot of clean shots, I had him hurt, I snapped his head back multiple times, and I am grateful for the experience.”
His opponent called for a rematch during his in-ring interview, but Lopez told the Compass that he is not interested.
“That was a one and done for me,” he said. “I’m onto the next. I want to keep progressing and I don’t think he put up a good enough fight… but I just want to say that I have nothing against Geno… I respect anyone that gets into the ring, so this was not personal. I wish that it could’ve ended in better sportsmanship.”
While it is unclear if organisers will book a second match, Brown said he is certain that if they do fight again, the result would be different.
“Nothing went wrong for me, I think everything just went right for him,” Brown told the Compass. “After the first round, I could see what his strategy was… and he kept doing it… but it is what it is. He doesn’t want to rematch because he knows that I figured him out now.”
‘South Sound Savage’
Perhaps the biggest star of the night was Ben Vagniez, who was the first from Cayman to take on one of three boxers from the Bahamas, and the only fighter on the card to earn a first round TKO. Vagniez, in an early onslaught, caught Benito Rolle with a clean hook to the body that left his opponent crouching in agony and receiving a standing eight.
The gutsy Bahamian decided to continue the fight, but shortly after, he received his second standing eight count following several unanswered blows to the head. Again, though, showing his grit, Rolle wanted to continue. However, the ‘South Sound Savage’ would put the finishing touches on the tough Bahamian, forcing his coach to throw in the towel at two minutes and 12 seconds into the fight.
Vagniez’s performance can only be described as a dominant one from start to finish. After he was declared the winner, he proudly hoisted up the Cayman flag and, as he was moving towards the locker room, fans, friends, and family all rushed in to take photos with the island’s newest boxing star.
“I’m tough; I’ve taken so many beatings in the gym and I’m not scared to take a beating anymore,” Vagniez, who improved his record to 3-0, told the Compass. “I train so hard and I’m so well physically that I can’t not be good mentally.”
Vagniez thanked his coaches Eric McField and Floyd Moxam out of D. Dalmain gym and said it was an honour to defend his home territory – something he plans to do again soon.
“Next is 4-0. Apparently, they are flying in some guys from Barbados, so they can get it too. I love this island and it’s amazing to be able to represent it in a sport like boxing, where I am fighting for my country.”
The main event
Just before the last fight, Nathaniel Antunez took on Bahamian Jason Bethel, with a fast-paced first round that had both fighters landing heavy blows. However, by the second round, Bethel had nothing left in the tank. At that point, Antunez took full advantage and ultimately got the stoppage win 54 seconds into that round.
Finally, it was time for combat fans at Bevvy to watch the ever-confident Caymanian-Jamaican boxer Jaden Eccleston take on Bahamian Elijah Smith.
The Bahamian desperately tried to land on Eccleston, who put on a masterclass, dipping, dodging and landing devastating counters on Smith, who looked like a deer in the headlights at times.
By the second round, it was clear that it was a mismatch and Eccleston, to no one’s surprise, earned the stoppage win, improving his record to 10-3.
“I’m grateful,” Eccleston said in his in-ring interview. “I’m pleased with my performance but now, it’s back to the gym. I just hope that we can continue to have fight nights like this.”
It looks like he will get his wish. According to Alva Suckoo, president of the Cayman Islands Boxing Association, the plan is to have another boxing event in May – one which will feature regional boxers.
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