Superheavy-weight boxer Leran Regis failed to impress the judges last Tuesday when he faced Canada’s Jérôme Feujio at the AMBC Elite Men &Women Continental Championships in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Regis, 21, of Ti Chemin, Babonneau, drew a bye to the quarterfinals round. But the judges stopped the fight in the second round after a flurry of jabs and punches from Feujio went unanswered.
However, Regis, who took up boxing when he chose Physical Education as a CSEC subject while in Form Four at Corinth Secondary School six years ago, says all is not lost following Tuesday’s upset.
“This tournament produced some much-needed experience for me,” said the young boxer who trains regularly at the Vigie Boxing Gym. “I’m a little bit disappointed with the outcome, but the experience was much needed. Experience played a huge part in my loss, but I walked out with my head held high, knowing that I represented Saint Lucia to the best of my ability.”
This was Regis’s fourth fight, and he hasn’t had a competitive bout in nearly three years, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he credits the sport for keeping him out of trouble and plans to up his training schedule to realize better outcomes. He also thanked everyone who has encouraged him thus far in his boxing career.
Regis is among a short list of boxers expected to represent Saint Lucia at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, from July 28 to August 8.
“Leran fought with heart despite coming up against an opponent who has way more fights than him,” said Conrad Fredericks, National Head Boxing Coach. “I wanted Leran to win, but he didn’t. He slacked up a bit in the defense because his opponent was more aggressive.”
On Friday, March 25, light middleweight boxer, Kyghan Mortley, lost his preliminary bout to Colombia’s Alexander Rangel Madariaga. Despite Mortley putting up a strong defence at Friday’s bout, the judges favoured the more aggressive Rangel with a 5-0 decision, with all five judges scoring the fight 30-27.
Fredericks said the Ecuador tournament was the first outing for the boxers since 2018. He said the boxers need more fights in order for them to improve. Following the Ecuador tournament, the boxers are due to attend a six-week training camp in Guyana in preparation for the Commonwealth Games.
“This Ecuador tournament will boost their momentum, spirit and effort going forward,” Fredericks added. “We will continue to work to show that Saint Lucian fighters have great talent.”
The AMBC Elite Men & Women Continental Championships runs from March 22 to April 2, and features boxers from 24 countries from the Americas and a Fair Chance Team. Saint Lucia is the sole OECS country competing at the tournament.