Boxing: 11th Indian Ocean Islands Games 2023 – Madagascar |24 May 2023
The boxers in a group photo (Photo: Neil Sirame)
Last chance for the pugilist to make national team
The Seychelles Boxing Federation on Saturday hosted its second competition to select pugilists for the 11th Indian Ocean Islands Games 2023 scheduled to take place in Madagascar from August 23 to September 3.
Held at the Victoria Gymnasium, the event was the last chance for the pugilists to prove themselves for a spot on the team.
The official list of selected athletes is expected to be announced during the week.
The competition got off to a great start with two beginners showcasing their talent. The bout between Adrian Gertrude and Dean Esther was scheduled for three rounds of one minute and a half each.
After a very energetic Gertrude went after his Esther in the first round, he won it in the second after his opponent retired.
In the 51kg category, Jade Micock faced Nel Rioux, and in the first round, the former made some good hits through his quick combos to challenge his opponent’s composure.
With a better offence than his opponent, Micock triumphed in the third round by judges’ decision.
In the 57kg category Willy Idrice went against Romano Moustache. Idrice was more aggressive from the start, while Moustache also tried to score by landing some punches.
In the third round, Idrice overpowered Moustache to win on the judges’ scorecard 3-0.
Ivan Rachel had the chance to take his revenge on Jovani Bouzin following their last encounter in April in the 91kg. Even if Rachel started strongly with some big punches, Bouzin was hungrier for a final spot in the national team and in the third round both boxers kept exchanging punches although fatigue had settled in. In the end, Bouzin won the fight by 2-1.
Shahid Dubel continued his good performance, wining his bout against Alexson Prudence. In the third round Dubel observed Prudence’s attacks and countered those with good combos and having a better composure he could deliver more punches to win the bout 3-0.
Michael Tabbita challenged Achille David in the 51kg category. More aggressive than his opponent, David pounded Tabbita to win the bout on a 3-0 score.
In the 63.5kg, Greth Estico from Praslin took on Marick Sinon. Estico started slowly in the first round but changed the complexion of the fight in the second round by overwhelming Sinon with some powerful punches and his opponent decided to retire.
In the 60kg, Dario Gabriel took on Russell Victor, with the former landing strong punches to secure points, but Victor retaliated with a knock down in the third round to win the bout 2-1.
Adrian Laporte-Durup fought against Stan Nicette in the 81kg. Nicette landed some powerful blows and when he was expected to snatch the win, Laporte-Durup countered with some great punches in the second and final rounds to win the fight 2-1.
Fabio Roselie won his bout against Sebastino Peirani on judges’ score of 3-0.
The final bout on the programme was between Dashille Fanchette and Terrel Harriba. Going all out into attack, Fanchette gave Harriba no time to breathe.
Fanchette delivered some powerful blows, forcing Harriba to retire in the second round.
The competition concluded with presentation of trophies.
Bouzin was awarded best boxer title of the competition, while Micock won the best upcoming boxer.
Gabriel was awarded the best loser in the competition.
Speaking to Sports NATION, SBF secretary general Edmond Folette said the winners of the competition would be among the first batch to be selected for the national team.
He said there may be open spots, even for those who lost on Saturday due to the different weight classes.
He added that after the official selection, the group will take part in the African Championship scheduled for June, along with another tournament in Reunion as part of the preparations for the IOIG.
Mr Folette also noted that he was satisfied with the performance of the boxers on Saturday and that they have shown improvement since the April competition.
Neil Sirame
