A young super-flyweight boxer has shocked the sporting world to claim his third knockout win in a row, against an opponent who is yet to taste victory. Jayson Santana, a 24-year-old boxing prospect faced Kenneth Jamerson, a 33-year-old serial loser, on Saturday 29 April.
The “fight”, if it can be called that, did not last long. In his attempt to touch gloves, which is probably the most sporting thing you could do before trying to take your opponent’s head off, Jamerson was met with a flurry of rapid knocks from his much younger opponent. Three seconds into what was meant to be a boxing match, Jamerson was on the canvas and out for the full count.
This obviously unsportsmanlike behaviour has been met with severe criticism from boxing fans, as the court of public opinion has been split on whether it was the “right” thing to do. Taking a step away from the public’s opinion, what do the laws say? And what does the result mean in terms of the bigger picture?
Firstly, there is nothing in the boxing rules that state anyone is required to “touch gloves” to indicate the start of a fight, thus Santana was completely within his own rights to come out swinging. Boxers are required to “protect [themselves] at all times” – which both men knew – but ironically, the more experienced fighter forgot to do that.
Looking at the bigger picture, this result means very little to Kenneth Jamerson, who has now been knocked out in each of his professional fights, meaning he slips from 0-5 to 0-6. On the other hand, the youngster, Jayson Santana, can add his latest KO victory to his previous two, to start his professional career off in the best possible way.
Where either boxer goes next is left to be seen.