FEDELATIN featherweight boxing champion, Jamaican Nicholas Walters, is looking to bigger things now that he has cracked the top 15 of the World Boxing Association (WBA) rankings.

Last week, Walters beat Carlos Manuel Reyes of the Dominican Republic in Haiti in the WBA-sanctioned event and now insists other titles are well in sight.

“I’m gonna fight more and defend my title and maybe (fight) for a world title, like a WBC (World Boxing Council) or WBO (World Boxing Organisation) belt and take it from there,” said the 23-year-old fighter.

“I’m still young to boxing. There is a lot for me to learn and there is a lot further for me to go,” Walter added.

The wiry fighter, who is trained in Panama by world-rated coach Celso Chavez, has attributed his triumph to the work he has put in and is hopeful youngsters coming up in the sport will find inspiration in his achievements.

“I’ve put in a lot of work. For me personally, to be a champion just now… I’m living one of the dreams I’ve had for years. Now youngsters looking at the belt, looking at the fights, they can look up to (me). They’ll always have me as an example so they know they can go further,” he added.

The young boxer who hails from Roehampton district in the parish of St James, is also coached by his father, Job Walters — himself a former fighter — and has improved his professional career record to 13 wins with no defeats.

Walters, who returned to the island last Sunday to spend the Christmas break with his family, told the Observer his determination has pulled him through various challenges.

He broke his right hand in August during a fight with Colombian Ernesto Vasquez in Panama, but soldiered on to knock out his opponent three rounds later, in the sixth round.

Walters was originally told he would not be in the ring again until early next year, but he said he and his management team had other ideas at the time.

“My hand was broken in Panama, but I was there working every day, going to the gym and training with one hand. Many persons were saying that I wouldn’t be in action until January or February, but my coach and my manager had other plans,” said the man who has been boxing since age seven.

Former Jamaica Boxing Board of Control (JBBC) president Leroy Brown, who was present in Haiti to assist the authorities in promoting the event, felt Walters “executed extremely well”, despite having a stomach problem a few days before the fight.

Brown also felt Walters dominated Reyes throughout the fight, even though he suffered a mishap during the eighth round in Port-Au-Prince.

“What happened is that there was a wet spot in the middle of the ring and Nick slipped and just as his legs went under him the guy caught him. Fortunately, it was not a heavy blow. He was a well deserved winner, no doubt about it,” Brown stated.

Walters recovered from the knock down to be unanimously adjudged the winner.

Brown added that if all goes well, young Walters should be looking at a WBA title shot in two years.

“He will work his way up. The idea is to look for him to get a title shot within two years. It depends on the progress he makes in this coming year,” he said.