opponents in a successful return to international competition recently.

An impressive victory from novice Gregory Todd was the highlight for the Island bobbies in a tournament held in Greenfield, Massachusetts, which also featured fighters from the Franklin County Sheriffs Department, Massachusetts State Police and Denver City Police.

Todd, 6 ft 5 in tall and weighing 270-lb, had trained for only two months for his bout against Mike Mastriani, of Franklin County. And at times his inexperience showed. But his sheer size and power eventually overwhelmed his opponent.

Mastriani, three inches shorter and 30-lb lighter than the Bermudian, was given two standing-eight counts and the fight was halted at one point as he received medical attention. When the fight resumed, Todd rained punches on his opponent and the referee stopped the fight to give him a second-round victory.

Earlier in the evening, heavyweight Sean Field-Lament, who was making his comeback to the ring after several years, also completed a second-round win.

A frenzied flurry of punches marked the start of his bout against Franklin County's Mike Hnath, which left Hnath with a bleeding nose. The referee stopped the fight in the following round after a more controlled display of hard hitting by Field-Lament.

Jeff Baron's scheduled opponent pulled out with an injury, so the Islander instead fought an exhibition bout against the heavier and more experienced Greg DeFosses.

There was no lack of competitive edge or solid punching, as both boxers made a fine fight of it. As with all exhibition bouts, no winner was declared.

Bermuda's four junior boxers also gave a good show. The bout featuring Jahvon Washington and Kacey Smith looked like being a close affair until the referee called a halt when Smith suffered an asthma attack between rounds.

Melvin Martin and Charles (Chucky) Signor delighted the crowd with a thrilling fight. Martin won a unanimous points decision but only after Signor had landed some good shots in the third round to produce a rousing end to the fight.

The boxers have now been invited to a similar tournament in Denver in March next year and are seeking sponsors to help with the cost of travelling there.

Anyone who can help should call Craig Morfitt on 299-4275.