Caymanian light welterweight boxer, Damar Robinson, came up short of a victory during his first international competition – the 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup – in Bangkok, Thailand.
Competing from the blue corner on 11 March, the 17-year-old made his international debut during the Round of 32 preliminaries in the under-19 male 65kg division.
Following a narrow battle with Trinidad and Tobago’s Makieve Bellille, Robinson fell short by way of a 3-3 split decision.
Robinson, who began boxing at age 13 in 2020 following the influence of his older brother and partly because he was “looking for something productive to do after school”, reflected on his recent fight.
“The result didn’t go in my favour … however, both my coaches and I strongly believe that I did enough to win the fight,” Robinson said.
“My experience in Thailand has been both challenging and eye-opening. The level of competition here is very high and it pushed me to perform at my best. Although the result wasn’t what I hoped for, I’m proud of my effort and execution in the ring,” he added.
He noted that the level of preparation and experience among international fighters was a significant shift from domestic competition.
“One of the biggest differences between fighting in Thailand and back home is the level of experience and preparation among the fighters. Here, many opponents are highly seasoned and come very well-prepared for tournament settings, which raises the intensity and competitiveness of every match.”
Though he might not have taken away the win, Robinson said a lesson he learned is “the importance of staying composed under pressure and adapting quickly to different fighting styles.”
Remaining optimistic and grounded in his faith, Robinson said, “A quote that reflects my mindset is Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This reminds me that my strength comes from more than just myself, and it keeps me grounded and motivated.”
Coaching staff’s assessment of performance
The coaching staff provided positive assessments of Robinson’s output against a more experienced opponent.
Head coach Philmore Barnett highlighted that Robinson was matched against a fighter with more ring experience, noting that the young boxer performed well despite this disparity.
“Damar’s overall performance was great because he fought an athlete who has [more fighting experience than] him but I have a lot of confidence in him. He has what it takes to become a champion and I don’t have any doubts,” Barnett said.
Highlighting a personal key takeaway, Barnett said, “My experience in this world-class event was a good one and I learned a lot especially seeing how hard the kids train to compete at the level they fought, so I can show our kids what it takes to be a champion.”
Assistant coach Troy O’Neil echoed these sentiments, stating that while the judging did not favour them, Robinson demonstrated that he can compete at a high level.
“Damar did what we prepared him to do, [but] the judges were not on his side, but it shows us that we can compete with world-class fighters; we just need more experience worldwide. I’m happy to see how he improved for the past year. [He] can perform on a high level [and is] improving a lot,” O’Neil said.
O’Neil acknowledges, “As a coach, I would like to say that we have a long way to go, but it’s all about international exposure that gives us the way to success. Cayman is small and I want to see us on the map one day soon.”
Matthew Thompson’s logistical challenge
The tournament also presented logistical hurdles for the Caymanian delegation, affecting light middleweight Matthew Thompson.
Although Thompson traveled to Bangkok with the intention of competing in the 70kg division, he was unable to participate due to the absence of registration requirements.
“I did not get to participate in the tournament due to not having a gender test result in time; however, it was an amazing and necessary learning experience for the whole team,” Thompson said.
He added, “The registration, rules and requirements were a lot different, and you could tell we weren’t prepared properly for it, [but] like I said, it was a great learning experience, and we have gathered plenty of information on how these world class tournaments operate.”
Thompson identified other administrative obstacles encountered during the registration process, including specific uniform requirements regarding country codes and the necessity of face photographs in boxing record books.
“These were all obstacles we had to work around and fix to register as these tournaments aren’t laid back at all and require you to follow every rule. After this trip we are now fully educated and ready for the next one,” he shared.
Overall, he described the experience as a “beautiful”, noting that it was an opportunity “to interact with other countries and boxers with 100+ fights on their record.”
“We never held back when it came to asking questions about how they train so we can improve our own game and pick up tips here and there. Seeing how competitive and important these tournaments are, really motivates me to be the first Caymanian to win such a big tournament like that,” Thompson said.
Both fighting under the Cayman Islands Elite Boxing Federation, Robinson and Thompson now look toward the confirmation of their next fights.
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