The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas’ seven-member team suffered a big blow at the 2016 American Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and they now have to wait for the AIBA World Olympic Qualifier in Baku, Azerbaijan, June 7-19 for a chance to secure their berths at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The team, competing in a field of 241 boxers from 35 countries, only had one boxer, Rashield Woodside, who won a fight during the tournament March 11-19. In each of the divisions contested, only the top two or three boxers advanced.

In the light welterweight (64 kilo-gram) division, Woodside survived the first round by knocking out Aaron Hassette of Trinidad and Tobago, but he lost 3-0 to Luis Arcon from Venezuela.

“My performance could have been better, but I think I did my best and I feel I should have won my second fight,” said Williams on the team’s return home yesterday. “I expected a tough fight because we were fighting the best fighters out of every country.”

Williams, however, said he felt that all of the Bahamian boxers performed as well as they could and if they have another opportunity to compete, they will continue to put their best foot forward and hopefully with God’s help, they can qualify for the Olympics.

In the bantamweight (56 kg) division, Ronald Woodside lost 3-0 to Juan Reyes Donis from Guatemala, in the middleweight (75 kg) division, Carl Hield lost 3-0 to Clovis Drolet from Canada, in the light heavyweight (81 kg) division, Israel Johnson lost 3-0 to Jonathan Esquivel from the USA, in the heavyweight (91 kg) division, Davon Hamilton suffered a technical knockout against Cam Awesome from the USA and in the super heavyweight (+91 kg) division, Kieshno Major lost 3-0 to Cuban Lenier Pero.

Despite falling short, Hield said he wants to thank God for allowing them to travel and compete, the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Amateur Boxing Association of the Bahamas and all of the sponsors for assisting them in making the trip. He said he only wishes that they can get another chance to compete again.

“Everybody fought good, but we had some tough decisions,” Hield said. “I had a tough fight against a Canadian. I thought I won the fight, but I didn’t. We have another chance in June, but we are just waiting to hear from the federation because they are telling us that they don’t have the funds.

“The next chance will be easier because they will be taking more boxers because all of the big boxers have already qualified. The competition was so tough over there that some of the number one competitors and even Olympic medallists got beat. So we all have to go back to the drawing board and get ready for the next round in June to try and qualify.”

Hield said all of the boxers showed that they have the ability to qualify and if they can get the funding, he’s confident that they can qualify. “I was told after my fight that I waited too long to fight,” said Hield, the most experienced member of the Bahamas team. “In the second round, I waited too long to throw my punches. I should have fought the way I did the first and the third rounds. I started to wait too late. That was my first competition for the year.

“I didn’t fight since the Pan American Games. I just have to go back to camp and get ready for the next one and I’m sure that if I get the opportunity to travel, I will definitely qualify. I can’t afford to let four years go down the drain and I don’t get to go to the Olympics.”

Head coach Andre Seymour said they were challenged by the draws in each division with the United States, Cuba and Canada all included.

“We did our very best to try and qualify, but it didn’t happen the way we expected,” said Seymour, who was assisted by Valentino Knowles and Ronn Rodgers. “We had to finish in the top three or the top two in our divisions and none of our boxers were able to do that. One of our boxers, Rashield Woodside, was the only person to win a fight. He knocked out his Trinidad opponent, but he lost to Venezuela. He should have won that fight. I think they robbed him big time in that fight. That was a clear win for him, but they took it away from him.”

As for the other boxers, Seymour said they simply got beat.

“Carl Hield lost to Canada. His performance wasn’t up to his standard. Believe me, he should have done better in that tournament,” Seymour said. “Kieshno Major lost to the Cuban super heavyweight, but he performed very well. He just didn’t have enough to pull it off.

“Ronald Woodside also performed very well. He lost to Guatemala. He gave it all he had. Our heavyweight, Davon Hamilton, lost to the American and the light heavyweight Israel Johnson lost to the US as well. The draws we had were very stacked. We had some very tough fights. Now we have to go back to the drawing board and try to qualify in June.”

Seymour, however, said he just has to find the money to take the boxers to Baku.