Pint-sized Jabali Breedy, of the Parkinson Memorial School, set the National Boxing Gym at the National Stadium on fire with his aggression and skills as the National Sports Council’s Annual Schools Amateur Boxing competition climaxed last week with eight bouts.
A healthy crowd of supporters was on hand to watch the youngsters in action with many of them being concerned about the physical mismatch between Breedy and Rashawn Gibbs, of Alma Parris.
However, from the first round until the third and final the sympathy would have shifted to Gibbs as Breedy’s relentless flurry of punches to the body and then the face stunned the spectators and the much taller Gibbs.
Unfortunately, Breedy’s schoolmate Michael Griffith could not follow suit in his bout with Kumi Israel of St George. The battle between Zakeem Norville, of Alexandra and Shamar Goodridge, of Ellerslie saw Norville hammering his opponent for all of round one.
In round two and part of the final round Goodridge responded well, but Norville finished as strong as he had started to take the bout.
The other bouts saw Kempton Griffith, of the Barbados Youth Service, defeating Lyndel Hamilton, of the Unique Secondary, Omar Blackman of Coleridge & Parry topped Shaquille Jemmott, of the Lodge School and Akio Bartlett, of the Alleyne beat Ision Frasier, of Grantley Adams.
Jadan Barker pulled a bout back for Alma Parris by winning his bout against Shyheim Pinder, of Princess Margaret. Tahj Farley did likewise for CP by dismissing Akeem Bryan and leaving Grantley Adams winless at the end of the competition.