Adrian Roach pulled out a split decision to headline a 5-1 victory for Bermuda boxers against Canada in a highly entertaining Amateur Fight Fest at the Bermuda College Gymnasium on Saturday.

Roach, who improved his amateur record to 29-6, outpointed the experienced Taverio Stewart, who came into the night with 50 wins to his credit.

There were also wins for Jaylon Roberts, who has expressed intentions to turn professional, Ngai Franklin, Legal Tucker and Jahnai Trott, with the lone local defeat suffered by Bruce Perinchief.

Four of the five Bermuda wins going by split decision gave an indication of how close the bouts were — a fact with which Nathan Dill, president of the Bermuda Boxing Association, concurred.

“This was a good card and most of the fights were evenly matched as indicated by the scorecards,” he said. “This event was designed to give our guys more ring exposure, so in that regard we met our objective..

“With respect to the fights, I’m glad that I am not a judge, as some of the fights were hard to call but overall the event went well and we are looking forward to putting on more.”

Team Toronto head coach Victor Del had similar views.

“It’s hard to have your guys lose, especially when the crowd thinks differently, but overall I am proud of the way my fighters accepted the results,” he said.

“We appreciate being given the opportunity to come here to showcase our talent and hopefully we will be invited back.”

A reasonable crowd witnessed this event, with former female professional boxer Teresa Perozzi and fellow pros Nikki Bascome and Andre Lambe among the spectators giving vocal support.

Fight by Fight (Bermuda fighter named first):

Adrian Roach (28-6) v Taverio Stewart (50-16)

(super-welterweight)

Roach put on a gutsy performance as he held his own against a more experienced fighter. Both started slowly as they took time to feel the other out. Stewart had the better exchanges, connecting with a solid, three-punch combination in the middle of the round, which backed up Roach. The Bermudian came out more aggressive at the start of the second, with both scoring good combinations to the body. Roach rocked Stewart’s head back with a good upper cut, as both exchanged punches towards the end the round. The last round saw good exchanges from both connecting to the body and head, with Stewart looking the more composed. Tough fight to call. Split decision to Roach.

Jaylon Roberts (8-3) v Jonathan Kirupakaran (7-9)

(middleweight)

Pro prospect Roberts was severely tested and won by split decision over his more experienced rival. Both boxers resorted to close infighting with the occasional clashing of heads, as neither gave the other the opportunity to extend their jabs. Each slipped short punches, with Kirupakaran successful on a few upper cuts. The Canadian fought a technical fight, picking his shots, and forced Roberts onto the back foot. Kirupakaran had a point taken away for a low blow in the second round to even the match. The Canadian was the more technical and got the better of the exchanges, picking his shots perfectly but Roberts reacted to every flurry and countered in return to convince the judges and win by split decision.

Bruce Perinchief (3-1) v Christopher Balodis (3-0)

(super-welterweight)

This was a fast-paced start, with southpaw Balodis dominating and scoring easily with straight lefts to the head and body, backing Perinchief on to the ropes. The local was outboxed, but fought with heart and determination, throwing the occasional bomb that found more air than body most times. Balodis stalked his opponent, giving him no time to rest. In the third round, Perinchief needed a knockout to win, which never came as Balodis won by unanimous decision to give the Canadians their only win of the night.

Ngai Franklin (3-2) v Leon Cummings (2-0)

(super-middleweight)

As the taller boxer, Franklin was able to capitalise on his longer reach, connecting with the jab while keeping his opponent at bay. Cummings occasionally took the risk by slipping inside to connect on his own. Cummings stunned Franklin with a straight right, causing him to stumble backwards into the ropes. The fight appeared even going into the last round. Franklin connected with a solid right to the head in the middle of the round, but Cummings finished strong with a flurry highlighted by a right hook to the chin that knocked out Franklin’s mouthpiece as the final bell sounded. Another close fight, with the split decision going to Franklin.

Legai Tucker (4-0) v Hami Madadikahkeshi (6-1)

(lightweight)

The Canadian started with strong jabs to the face, but Tucker connected with a right hand of his own to knock his opponent into the ropes midway through the round. The Canadian ended the round with a flurry. Madadikahkeshi looked the more skilful as he slipped punches and cut off his opponent’s angles to score at will with the jab as the fight ended. The crowd and Madadikahkeshi thought he had won, but the judges thought differently in awarding Tucker the win by split decision.

Jahnia Trott v Yusef Emara

(light-heavyweight)

This was the opening bout of the internationals. Both boxers were conservative in the first round. Each had good exchanges, with Trott putting on a spurt towards the end of the round. Trott connected with some good one-two combinations, snapping Emara’s head back in the last round to take the victory by a unanimous decision.

Two junior fights preceded the international bouts, with Jordan Peterkin and Musa Adbul-Jabar winning by points decision over Mustafa Abdul-Jabar and Zane Furbert-Tankard respectively.

Birthday boy and coach Leo Richardson, 53, proved that age is just a number as he opened the evening with a display of skilful and tactical boxing to defeat local DJ Omar Anderson by decision.

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