Jamaica Boxing Board President Stephen Jones says that a local platform still exists for amateur fighters to not only transition to professional careers but challenge for world titles.

He cites Nicholas “Axeman” Walters as proof of this.

Walters, 38, is a former World Boxing Association (WBA) Featherweight world champion. That title was won against Colombia’s Daulis Prescott in Kingston in December 2012.

After losing a World Boxing Organization Junior Lightweight World Championship challenge to Ukrainian Vasiliy Lomachenko in November 2016, Walters took a hiatus from boxing and returned in February 2023. He has been unbeaten in his three bouts since returning, taking the WBA Continental Americas lightweight title in his last fight. This was against Joseph Adorno in Florida last month.

Jones says Walters proves there is a path for local amateurs to have serious professional careers, despite criticism from some in the boxing fraternity.

“What I think is fantastic is that as many fighters that we’ve had that have become world champions and have gone to the highest level as a professional, including the Axeman — the separation, for me, with Axeman is that he is the only one that has ever won a world title here at home,” Jones told the Jamaica Observer. “That being said, to do that in front of your home crowd, that inspires already.”

There were questions about whether Walters would return to boxing during his hiatus, especially as he aged. There were also questions about whether he would return to his previous performance levels and retain his reputation. But Jones says he was never doubtful about this.

“His name is still a huge name because he was a terrific world champion, so his name still carries weight,” Jones said. “For him to get back to this level, takes a lot of discipline and the talent just the same. So, it’s very good for those coming now to see not only that they get the opportunity to become a world champion, it can be done here in Jamaica, but the road to doing it is through our fight nights.

“The platform is here to have your career here in Jamaica. The road to the world title can be led through Jamaica. All fights can be had here. The fact that Axeman showed that we can have a title fight here, where a Jamaican wins it is one thing, but the fact that we can have the fight nights now that act as a platform that boxers can have their fights here leading up to where Axeman got to, and then become a world champion is real.

“When Axeman is doing what he’s doing at this level and the fact that he fights carries a lot of weight because of his name. It will do wonders for our boxers to take their confidence and their inspiration from the grassroots level right up to the pros.”

Ricardo “Big 12” Brown is another recent example of an amateur pursuing a successful professional career.

Brown represented Jamaica at the Tokyo Olympic Games three years ago as an amateur, then went professional after. He is undefeated with all 11 fights won by knockout.

Jones says Jamaica hopes to send three boxers and two officials to a qualifying tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, at the end of May. He says Jamaica has a good chance of success there, if the programme gets corporate support.

“We have to put it to the powers that be that can help to get us there,” he said. “We’re confident that at this level, if we get to that tournament, we should be able to have at least one boxer represent us in Paris.”