Rising Barbadian light heavyweight boxer Shawn Cox wasted little time in completing an easy first-round victory over Guyana’s Mark Sealy in the non-title main bout at the Wildey Gymnasium over the Xmas weekend.

Frustrated by the withdrawal of his original opponent Ricardo ?The Bomber? Kellman that forced the cancellation of the Barbados National light heavyweight title fight, Cox battered Sealy in a lop-sided contest on an entertaining five-fight card.

Jamaican Rudolph Hedge, Barbadian Miguel Antoine and Guyana’s Revlan Lake also thrilled the fans with solid wins.

Cox, a former Commonwealth Boxing Championships gold medallist, turned pro in September and has already reeled off three wins all inside the distance.

Like previous opponents Julian Tannis and Winston Pompey, Sealy was completely outgunned by Cox and referee Derrick Herbert stopped the bout when it was a mere minute and 20 seconds old.

?It went pretty okay, I train hard for anyone, I don?t care who it is,? Cox added, ?I train my body to a level that I will perform.?

Cox had been preparing for the tougher Kellman, who made a late withdrawal from the bout because of a shoulder injury.

With the defeat, Sealy’s record dropped to one win against three losses.

After being stunned by a pair of solid left hands, Sealy was cornered on the ropes and was smashed with powerful unanswered blows.

With the Guyanese helpless on the ropes, referee Herbert stepped in and saved him from further punishment, handing victory to the southpaw (left-handed) Cox, who has entered the pro ranks on the back of a very impressive amateur record that spanned over 10 years.

Cox won seven Caribbean Amateur Boxing Association (CABA) titles, and in addition to his Commonwealth Championship gold, he also won a Pan American Championship silver and was the only boxer from the English-speaking Caribbean to qualify for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Earlier on the card, Hedge was too good for Barbadian Ricardo Blackman in a super-bantamweight clash of former Caribbean amateur champions.

Hedge appeared to be a very clear winner, but judge Anthony Williams shockingly scored Blackman the victor 38-37 and it was left to the other judges, Curtis Miller and Hayden Downes to deliver winning numbers for Hedge, 40-35 and 40-39.

Unbeaten Hedge improved to two wins, against one draw with the victory and Blackman slid to four wins against five losses.

In the night’s other bout, the 18-year-old Barbadian light middleweight Kevin Stapleton out-muscled Guyana’s Judah Sealy and won on a fifth round technical knockout.