TWO Sir Jack Hayward Senior High School amateur boxers from Grand Bahama were successful in their international debut in a one-day amateur boxing tournament that was held in St Maarten on March 1.

Accompanied by coach Jermaine Gibson, the interim president of the Grand Bahama Boxing Association, were Josiah Smith, a 127-lbs feather weight and Keanu Greene, a 180-lbs cruiserweight.

They both were successful in winning their matches.

While Smith won by unanimous decision, Greene was awarded a referee stop contest decision due to a head punch in the second round.

The team departed for Miami, Florida enroute to St Maarten on February 27 and returned on March 4 after spending the night in Miami both ways. On their return home, they stopped by Sir Jack Hayward and a few other schools to celebrate their accomplishments.

“They are a portion of the team that will travel to Cayman Islands on March 21 and Georgia on April 3 for the Sugar Bert Green Belt Championship,” said Vincent Strachan, president of the Boxing Federation of the Bahamas.

“Due to lack of financial assistance, the other three members, including a female, could not travel. The growth and development of our boxers are going well, although we are not getting the financial assistance needed.”

The boxers, according to Strachan, are a part of the federation’s team that will be preparing to compete in the 2028 Olympic Games.

“I congratulate president Gibson, Greene and Smith for their outstanding representation of The Bahamas,” Strachan said.