BIG WINNER: Clayton Laurent, Jr. (right) stands over Wayman Carter after knocking him to the canvas in the first round at the Antilles School’s Mark C. Marin Center in St. Thomas on Saturday.
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CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Clayton Laurent, Jr made a big splash in his debut fight, stopping Wayman Carter in the second round after a series of body blows at the Mark C. Marin Center in St. Thomas on Saturday.
Laurent, a 2016 Olympian and the son of Julian Jackson, started fast and appears to carry the heavy hands that his father possessed, dropping a game Carter with a crunching right hand in the first.
Carter attempted to rally but it was only a matter of time.
The St. Thomas native dropped Carter to the body in the second round and repeated the process with referee Luis Pabon crowning him at 1:59 of the second round before a packed crowd.
It was a knockout victory in Laurent’s professional boxing debut.
“It feels great to turn pro in front of my people,” Laurent said. “I felt like I hurt him to the body so I kept going back there and making sure that I put him away. I’m absolutely ecstatic with the support.”
Before the fight, Laurent’s father Julian “The Hawk” Jackson was honored by WBA Fedelatin President Aurelio Fiengo, who presented him with a WBA championship belt.
Jackson Sr. reigned as WBA Super Welterweight champion in the late 1980’s and crushed Terry Norris in one of the defenses of his title.
Sadly, his original belt was stolen years ago.