Home|Sports|Hield loses in opening match of world championshipsSports
Simba FrenchSend an emailMay 11, 2023 139 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
Bahamian boxer Carl Hield, a light middleweight, recently participated in the 2023 IBA (International Boxing Association’s) World Boxing Championships that is being held at Humo Arena in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The veteran boxer, now 36, fell in his opening match to Boniface Mogunde of Kenya. Hield suffered a unanimous decision in the round of 64 on points, 5-0, to Mogunde. Modunde went on to lose in the round of 32 to Hamza El Barbari of Morocco.
As for Hield, Bahamas Boxing Federation (BBF) President Vincent Strachan said he put up a good fight and he is proud of the tenacity, courage and spirit that Hield displayed.
Fighting out of the blue corner in the elite men’s 67-71 kilogram (kg.) class, Hield put up a fight but just didn’t have enough to overcome the Kenyan fighter.
Judge Manoj Kumar, of India, scored the fight 30-27 in favor of Mogunde, and so did judge Maria Kavaklieva, of Bulgaria, judge Sidali Mokretari, of Algeria, and judge Sarah Bouhlel, of Tunisia. Judge Tina Poletan, of Bosnia, and Herzegovina, scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Mogunde.
Rami Bitar of Jordan refereed the fight.
According to Strachan, it was an action-packed fight for all three rounds. He said, being aware of the scoring process, he was stunned that Mogunde was declared the winner, and has no doubt that Hield should have prevailed. Hield is the lone competitor for The Bahamas at the IBA World Championships.
A total of $5.2 million is up for grabs at the global championships and athletes from all over the globe are taking part, competing for medals in 13 weight categories.
Gold medalists receive $200,000, silver medalists receive the previous champion’s purse of $100,000 and bronze medalists take home $50,000. Prize money was introduced for the 2021 Men’s World Championships and the 2022 Women’s World Championships as an incentive for boxers to be rewarded at the highest level of the sport.
The championships wrap up on Sunday.
Back in the gym, Hield, who just entered the professional ranks late last year, is now preparing for the boxing segment of the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, set for June 23 to July 8, 2023, in San Salvador, El Salvador. Hield is expected to return to the country this weekend.