Kyghan Morthley is ranked as Saint Lucia’s most promising young amateur boxer with good prospects for making it big-time in the sports world.
Kyghan is bold and dashing and displays the confidence of an athlete always rearing for a challenge. He loves to fight and the boxing ring provides that perfect arena where he is always eager to unleash his pugnacious fighting skills.
This 20 year-old, fresh-faced boxer displays the maturity of one well above his age, yet it is his cool and calculated demeanour that catches your eye while he’s slugging it out in the ring.
He is dedicated to the sport and has been on a steady climb since he jumped into the ring, adding extra flair to the sport with his dogged determination and flamboyant fighting style. Kyghan has landed many prize trophies in his short stint and is shaping up to become the promotional ‘boxing poster boy’ for the St Lucia Amateur Boxing Association (SLABA). The Association has long been pleading with the local sports authorities to provide a proper gym and better facilities so that budding athletes and others participating in the sport can harness their skills.
Kyghan is a student at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) but devotes much of his time to training and developing his skills as a boxer. He attended the Leon Hess Comprehensive School (LHCSS) then moved to the SALCC to pursue a course in Construction Engineering and is currently employed as an intern with Rudy’s Electrical and General Maintenance.
Born January 23, 1994, his birth date coincides with that of Saint Lucia’s two legendary Nobel Laureates – Sir Arthur Lewis (economics) and Derek Walcott (literature) so it is little wonder that Kyghan aspires to greatness, hoping to become St. Lucia’s first ever gold medal contender at the Olympics.
Kyghan has an impressive record of nine wins that includes five knockouts, and three defeats, one of which was a controversial points’ decision.
In an earnest desire to help him acquire his boxing kit, Kyghan’s mom bought him a weed-eater, which he uses to go out on grass cutting jobs on Sundays so that he could save money to purchase his gear.
Kyghan sat down with Dazzle and shot some verbal jabs while giving us some insight into into the challenges he’s had to face on his steady rise through the world of boxing.
Dazzle: What attracted you to the sport of boxing?
Kyghan: I used to play cricket and it was the love of my life before boxing. But the thing about cricket is that it is a game of fluctuating chances. After fielding first, when it’s your team’s turn to bat, you may not score many runs or you may get a duck and that is disappointing. With boxing you get to give and take … it is more expressive and you are pretty much more involved in that sport.
Dazzle: How long have you been involved in boxing and what are some major accomplishments that you have achieved in past years?
Kyghan: It’s been five years since I entered amateur boxing. My major accomplishments would include my debut fight in 2009 at the 1st annual Creole Boxing Championships where I got a gold medal. I also secured gold at the 3rd and 4th Creole Championships. I medaled silver at the OECS Championships in 2013, and that was a fight that I really enjoyed. Despite losing, my opponent really brought out the best in me on that night. My greatest fight, one that I will always talk about, is the fight back in Barbados on 7th July 2012, where I stopped my opponent 45 seconds into the first round.
Dazzle: How much do you enjoy boxing and do you have intentions to further develop your skills?
Kyghan: To be honest, I do not like training, it is too hard. But it is essential to develop as a boxer and I have to do it. Training is the hardest part, and on an average we train for about two hours a day and you only fight for nine minutes. So I always prefer the fighting more than the training.
Dazzle: But training helps to build you up as a fighter?
Kyghan: Yes, it helps a lot. Long-distance running helps to build your stamina and your endurance. But there are some persons who have running stamina but they don’t have fighting stamina. I think a lot of sparring helps; it’s the closest thing you can get to what you are doing and it will bring out the best in you.
Dazzle: As a young boxer, what are some things you would like to see get done in an effort to develop the sport on the island?
Kyghan: I would like to see us doing some more road shows, preferably one each month in the different communities round the island to keep us really active. Also, they need to open up more gyms because I think that the lack of facilities is why boxing is kind of lapsing in Saint Lucia. We have two boxing gyms, one at Vigie and another in the south that is not as active but the gyms are lacking in standards. There are definitely changes that need to be made to the Vigie gym to bring it up to the proper standard. We don’t necessarily need a bigger gym, since we cannot even manage a small one. But there are some things that can be done to help us out, such as upgrading the facilities.
Dazzle: Who are some of the persons that have been influential in your development as a boxer?
Kyghan: Firstly, it was Dalton ‘Hurricane’ George who introduced me to the sport. I was fifteen at the time and met Dalton at the Vigie playing field with his large bag and training kit and was curious to know what sport he was involved in. My first coach was the Cuban-assigned coach, Ronaldo. He would always motivate us and encourage us to reach for levels that previous boxers have not reached. My biggest mentor is Mr. Lendor, a member of my church who also loves watching and studying boxing. He always encourages me and ensures that I keep training and doing my exercises to keep fit.
Initially, my mom did not approve of me participating in boxing as a sport. After returning home from my first training session at the gym, she told me flatly, ‘Never go back there again…’ My father has different views and saw it as a sport with discipline and he was the one who initially stood by me. However, when I win a fight my mom is always happy about my victory and she would tell her friends how I knocked down my opponent.
Dazzle: How frequently have you toured the Caribbean as a competitive fighter and how far have you gone to compete?
Kyghan: I have fought in several Caribbean countries but the furthest that I have gone to compete is French Guiana. That’s where I stopped my opponent in the first round, a French Guianese boxer. I went on to reach the finals and took on a Brazilian boxer, and this guy could hit hard! That is the hardest puncher that I have ever faced but I ended the fight in the third round by breaking his nose.
Dazzle: In one-phrase, how would you describe your fighting technique or skills?
Kyghan: Presently, I regard Floyd Mayweather as the greatest boxer right now and I always try to compare myself to him. You could say that I am the ‘popular version’ of Floyd Mayweather. I would like to be known as Kyghan ‘the Hitman.’
Dazzle takes the opportunity to wish young Kyghan the very best of success in his quest to become Saint Lucia’s number one boxing champ.
