Belize boxers score K.O. against Mexico
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is yet another fresh edition of Sports Monday. In its final regular season appearance in Regent’s Cup play in the B.P.F.L., Builder’s Hardware Bandits of Belmopan found itself the number four seed going into the post season. So they decide to do something about it Saturday night at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium as they played host to the young upstarts and newcomers, Jacintoville United of Toledo.
From the opening whistle the host team begins a monster press in a bid for early domination as Dennis Serrano centres into the danger zone only to see Kello Leslie fail in the conversion attempt.
Three minutes later Oliver Hendricks gets his turn to open the scoring, but the weak left foot is intercepted by the P.G. keeper, Arzu.
Folks, we’re only six minutes in when Derys Benavides’ left foot shot is kept out by the goalkeeper Arzu, but it affords David Trapp a shot that gives Belmopan a 1-zip lead.
Talk about digging one out of the hole, the Jacintoville defence must be complemented for turning back this wicked header from Oliver Hendricks.
At the other end, Rene Rodriguez misdirect this open shot at goal and then goleador Kenton Galvez is denied the opportunity to launch his shot.
On this press, the long left foot shot almost gets past Charlie Slusher, but he makes the adjustments in time. In the meantime, the Bandits can’t be very happy with either Hendricks or Trapp as both come up empty off this perfect feed from Derys Benavides.
At the other end, Dennis Alvarez finds Kenton Galvez but his header does not provide the breakthrough Jacintoville needs so much.
Folks, it’s the thirty-fourth minute of the ballgame when Oliver Hendricks centres into the danger zone. The ball bounces of the back of Hilberto Sanchez–at the half the Bandits are up 2-nil.
So we go to the second half and Hamlet Armstrong rises with a dangerous header that inches outside the sticks. Now keep your eyes on this corner kick by Jacintoville–there’s a momentary confusion, but James Sanchez comes out smoking to half the Toledo deficit.
On this Bandits spotkick, Frank Vernon misplays on defence Mark “Kello” Leslie moves up and smacks it home for the 3-1 lead.
Talk about squandering a golden opportunity, David Trapp sets table perfectly for Lincoln Wiltshire and it’s shocking he can’t convert this use.
For this visitor, the end of their tough resistance comes when Lincoln Wiltshire heads this ball into the net–the Bandits go on to post the 4-1 big W. As a result the Belmopan team now shows twenty-five points and at the end of regular season play.
In other matches around the league, Juventus and the San Pedro Seahawks settled for a 1-1 tie, Kulture Yabra and Griga United struggled to that same outcome, while Real Verdes defaulted to Sagitun, giving the defending champion a 3-zip big W.
At the end of regular season play Juventus leads with twenty-five points, because of this goal ration of twenty-seven scored and twelve conceded. Sagitun also finishes with twenty-five points, with a goal ration of twenty-one to eight. The Bandits move into the post season at third in the standings with twenty-five points and a goal ration of twenty-one and sixteen, while Yabra rounds out the playoff picture with twenty-three points and a goal ration of nineteen scored and eleven taken. The playoffs begin on Sunday with Yabra travelling to Juventus at O.W., while Sagitun will host the Builder’s Hardware Bandits of Belmopan.
Turning to the boxing scene, this team of Mexican fighters invaded the Crystal Palace Auditorium in Orange Walk Sunday night October, twelfth to take on a five-man Belizean unit fighting out of Papi Pote’s Fist of Truth Gym.
In the opening bout, Steve McFoy at one hundred and twelve pounds gets the unanimous decision over a game Louis Lopez, who came in weighing one hundred and sixteen pounds.
Fight two on the card finds one hundred and thirty-five pound Henry Zelaya taking this vicious straight right that buckles his knees, but he comes right back after making the adjustment to get the win over Mario Rodriguez of Mexico.
In the third fight of the card, Edwin Gillette finds himself in trouble against one hundred and thirty-two pounder Erwin Adran, but he recovers to come back and really maul his opponent to steal the win in this final two rounds.
Meanwhile folks, this exhibition match between one hundred and seventy-five pound Thor Middleton, an old veteran, and another old Paul Diaz, one hundred and seventy-one pounds of Orange Walk, proved to be a major war of fisticuffs. But at the end the judges gave the nod to Thor Middleton.
Of course we must say the most dominant fighter of the night would have to be Horace Cadle. Here in the fourth round at one hundred and thirty-five pounds, Cadle unleashes a barrage that forces Angel Castillo to retreat until there’s no where to go. Fortunately, the referee stops the proceedings.
This brings us to the main bout and Edward Babb Jr., son of tonight’s promoter and a protégé of Papi Pote, comes out like a big time player with banner and all.
Babb fights at one hundred and thirty-five pounds facing Mexican Noel Jicano and immediately he establishes his presence. An in this opening round, this left hook floors the Mexican.
In the third round Babb let it all hang out, pummelling the opposition with rights and lefts. And after this hug-up in front of the Mexican corner, some exchange might have been mounted right there, because the fight is stopped by the Jicano’s coach, giving Edward Babb Jr. of Belize the T.K.O. win in first fight in the jewel. For sure, we will be hearing more from Papi Pote and Edward Babb in the future.
That’s our show for today. We invite you back same time, same place, next week. Jah over all! I’m James Adderley.
