Walters here to defend WBA title

Leroy Brown, Gleaner Writer

A confident Nicholas Walters, the World Boxing Association (WBA) Fedelatin champion, arrived in Jamaica yesterday with his manager Jacques Deschamps, for his 11-round title fight on Thursday night, against Mexican Argel Salinas, at the Karl Hendrickson Auditorium, Jamaica College.

Apart from being the WBA Fedelatin champion, Walters, who turned professional. two years ago, is now rated No. 7 in the featherweight division by the WBA. It will be his first fight in Jamaica as a professional The weigh-in will take place tomorrow afternoon at the Spanish Court Hotel.

"I've always wanted to fight in Jamaica ... . I've fought all over the world and people have always asked me when I was going to fight in Jamaica," Walters said shortly after he arrived home.

Vacant title

In two other fights on the card, Jamaica's popular young middleweight Sakima Mullings will go up against Winston Pompey of Guyana over 10 rounds for the vacant Commonwealth Zonal middleweight title while Jamaica's middleweight champion Rikardo Smith and Anthony Osbourne will box over six rounds.

The main bout promises to be an exciting affair, and Walters, who is based in Panama but has a training camp in Miami, will be on the hunt for an impressive victory.

He is 17-0 with 14 knockouts, while his opponent has a record of 14 wins and eight losses, with seven knockouts. Walters is an aggressive fighter who likes to take the initiative at all times, and Salinas is known to be an impressive in-fighter with good punching power and hand speed. All the ingredients are there for a thrilling battle.