Young boxers ready to prove themselves

By Cayman Sports Buzz
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Updated: 21 September 2016

When the Cayman Islands takes on London at Elite Marble and Granite Fight Night 3 in October, there will be two young boxers ready to show they deserve to be in the national spotlight.

Having featured exclusively as an exhibition fighter over the past year, Chambria Dalhouse will step between the ropes to face unfamiliar competition for the first time. Meantime, lightweight Alex Smith returns to the ring for his second effort after making his debut in July.

“I’m ready for the next fight,” Smith, 17, told CaymanSportsBuzz.com ahead of his matchup with Milo Tyson Reid, a fighter from Gumshield Gym in Southeast London.

Dalhouse speaks to reporters.

Dalhouse, 16, also appeared eager to step into the squared circle against Tilly Cosgrove when she spoke at a recent press conference to announce the event.

“It’s a really good feeling because usually I would see the boys and I would watch [them] and cheer for boys but now, knowing that I can actually step into the ring and have a fight that will be win or lose is just a surreal feeling,” she said.

Dalhouse will be the first amateur female to put on the gloves for the Cayman Islands against outside competition in a few years. That fact hasn’t seemed daunting to her.

“It’s very different because I’m not training with the person I’m going to be in the ring with. So, there’s the element of [the] unknown but I also feel that I’ll be a little more aggressive since I don’t know the person. I’ll have to give my all, especially because the person I’ll fight will have a lot more experience than me,” the teenaged fighter told reporters.

National team coach, Ryan Barrett, has also expressed confidence about Dalhouse’s looming debut. “We all trust her ability. She shows it day in-day out in the gym training with the guys. There’s no reason why she can’t come and beat the England girl. She’s had a lot more fights but Chambria is as rough as they come and I’ve got no fears that she’ll come away on top.”

Alex Smith has his eyes on the Youth Commonwealth Games.

Smith is eager to reverse his fortunes in the ring.

Smith will also be looking for his first win after losing to 88-83 to Canadian Danial Savard during Elite Marble and Granite Fight Night 2 in July.

“It taught me a lot of experience. I’ve learned a lot from the first fight. I watched the video over and over,” he said. “I needed to do more jabs, more hooks, more movement, and [to] stay off the ropes a bit more.”

Barrett said both fighters are poised for selection to represent the Cayman Islands at the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas next July.

Also on the card against London on 22 October are light heavyweight Dariel Ebanks, welterweight Bruce Lee Coulson and lightweight Eduardo Montalvo, who all beat Canadian opposition in July. Coulson also recently won a belt at the Sugar Bert National Title Belt Qualifiers in Columbus, Georgia in August.