Young Jamaican amateur boxers Devonte Barnes and Kayell Beckford both suffered losses on their debuts in Cayman Islands on November 2.

Dubbed ‘Clash in Cayman 2’, the Jamaicans were no match for their Caymanian opponents as Barnes was dismissed in one minute and 47 seconds by Ben Vagniez.

Beckford didn’t last much longer as following a barrage of punches from Matthew Thompson, the referee ended the contest at one minute and 38 seconds.

The third Jamaican heavy weight Fabian Tucker was stopped in the second round by Jaden Eccleston, who can either represent Cayman of Jamaica.

President of the Jamaica Boxing Association, Stephen Jones, said that it will be a proud moment for Jamaica’s boxing community to send the young fighters to be exposed.

Beckford is a 16-year-old student at Muchett High School while 17-year-old Barnes attends Irwin High School. They have been training under the Gloves Over Guns (GOG) initiative with coach Jasmine Graham.

Jones noted that the success of the GOG programme in Montego Bay has been greatly bolstered by the support of the Sandals Foundation, whose involvement has been instrumental in empowering young boxers and creating positive change across the community.