Brandy Barnes caps year with Caribbean gold

By Cayman Sports Buzz
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Updated: 11 December 2018

Barnes (blue) showed great tenacity in the ring.

In a year that has seen her face the toughest competition of her life, Brandy Barnes has returned to the Cayman Islands with a gold medal from the Caribbean Boxing Development Tournament in Guyana.

On Sunday 9 December, Barnes fought Joanne Williams of Guyana in front of the home crowd in Georgetown.

Reports from the Guyanese capital indicated that Barnes dominated her opponent to a stoppage in the second round and take the gold medal and title as the 48kg Elite Women’s Champion. This was her second gold medal at the Caribbean Championships having won the 48kg novice title in December 2017 in Saint Lucia

Despite her win, the Caymanian was critical of her performance in the ring.

However, Cayman Islands Boxing Association president Leyla Jackson said they were very proud of her progress over the past year. “Brandy continues to grow as an athlete, she has more stamina and strength than a year ago and she continues to build her skill demonstrating faster hand speed and a more effective defence,” she stated.

“Brandy has had a great year and 2019 will be a huge year for her as she will be working towards qualification for the Pan American Games in April. Brandy continues to demonstrate that boxing is a sport for all genders and that with hard work and dedication, growth and results can be achieved.”

This was an upbeat end to the year in the ring for Barnes, who faced tough competition and was beaten in her first bouts at the Commonwealth Games in April and the AIBA Women’s World Championships in November.