Local boxers Stefan Dill and Avita O’Conner claimed maiden International Invitational wins at last weekend’s ABAB 35th Anniversary Boxing Tournament in Barbados.Dill won the gold medal in the heavyweight division while O’Conner won gold in the super heavyweight division.Dill recorded a convincing 3-0 win against Bajan opponent Cabral Barriteau-Foster in the fourth bout of last Saturday’s event at Christ Church. The Bermudian had things all his way in his three round contest, winning the opening two rounds (2-0 and 1-0) to place himself firmly in the driver’s seat. Dill sent Foster flying through the ropes and onto the floor in the second round after tagging him with a vicious overhand right to the jaw. The third and final round ended in a draw.“He (Dill) used his speed throughout the three rounds and acquitted himself very well indeed,” said manager Debbie Smith, who also refereed and judged at last weekend’s event. “He never allowed the fact that he was a novice with two previous bouts in Bermuda to detract from his performance.”Unlike her compatriot, O’Conner was forced to dig deeper in her three round bout with Bajan Kemarah Stuart. The bout ended in a draw (9-9) however O’Conner was declared the winner on a tiebreaker.“As Avita was the more aggressive and assertive boxer she in turn won the bout and as a result received the gold medal,” Smith said. “The Bajan boxer appeared to be stronger but Avita broke her down bit by bit. Both boxers were perfectly matched in size and weight.”Stuart won the opening round 6-3. But O’Conner showed great determination and came roaring back to win the remaining rounds (4-2 and 2-1) before winning the bout on a tiebreaker.“Avita was a bit nervous during her rounds, but she never ever gave up and kept the pressure on the Bajan,” Smith said. “She continuously threw repetitive punches to the body and the head throughout all three rounds of boxing.”Both boxers received high praise from coach Quinton (Duke) Mallory for their impressive displays in the Caribbean island.“Coach Mallory was very pleased with the performance of each boxer,” Smith said. “As a result of their performances, they both were invited to the Trinidad National Championships to be held at the end of January 2013. They were also invited to the Dr. Ronald Wilson Memorial/ Caribbean Championships which is being held in the Cayman Islands in September 2013.”AIBA one-star official Smith has also been invited to accompany Dill and O’Conner in Trinidad and the Cayman Islands next year.Last weekend’s ABAB 35th Anniversary Boxing Tournament saw Dill and O’Conner fight a single bout (straight finals) scored with the Swiss Timing Electronic Scoring System, with the accepted scores of three out of the five referee/judges determining the overall final scores.