ONE?OF?Barbados’ most successful light heavyweight boxers of the 1980s has thrown some heavy punches at the training facilities in his native country, lamenting the lack of a ring to simulate fight situations.
Pamerson Ifill, who left Barbados in 1986 to live in Kansas after an impressive record of 21 wins and four losses, returned home recently for a holiday.
“Coming from a country where all the necessary support and infrastructure is provided to properly train boxers, it is sad to come home to see these conditions in which young Barbadian boxers are using as a training centre,” Ifill told WEEKEND?SPORT. He was speaking after a sparring session at the Belfield Gym with local boxer Miguel “Hands of Stone” Antoine.
“In order to progress in any sport you need proper training facilities and state-of-the-art equipment, inclusive of a weight training section that is conducive to good training. You also need good quality coaches, who are able to travel and see the latest techniques used in modern-day training,” he said.
The former Barbados light heavyweight champion said it was impossible for fighters to properly train without a ring.
“How can you train properly without a ring? The ring is where fights take place. It’s very difficult to train properly in Barbados where you do not have a ring to have consistent sparring sessions.
“Fights take place in either a 16, 18, 20 or 22-foot ring and if you do not have that familiarity, you will be at a disadvantage against opponents who are familiar with training in rings and know how to use ropes and how to use the ring,” he said.
“The padding is completely different. Bouncing on a hard concrete floor versus bouncing for eight to 12 rounds in a ring where your legs give and take in itself takes a toll on the body, so the more equipment you have that can simulate the actual fight the better it is for the boxers.”
Ifill, who hails from St Joseph, said boxing promoter Sam Layne must be commended for his efforts in trying to push local boxers to a higher level despite inadequate training facilities.
“I give Sam and his folks credit for trying to make the best of a tough situation, but they desperately need help if Barbados is to produce world-class boxers”.
After winning the amateur light heavyweight championship in Barbados, Ifill moved to Kansas City where he won the Golden Gloves state light heavyweight crown at the famous Petronelli Brothers Gym in Brockton to jump start his professional boxing career. This is the same gym where “Marvellous” Marvin Haggler trained.
Prior to that, Ifill left Barbados in 1984 for a six-month stint in Kansas where he was one of the sparring partners for former light heavyweight champion Marvin Johnson. However, his professional career ended prematurely due to a back injury when he sustained a ruptured disc in one of his weight training sessions. (CH)
