Peter “Lightning” Lewison Is a Caymanian boxer who grew up around the Birch Tree Hill area of West Bay.

In June this year, Peter took the giant step of becoming a professional, which enabled him to train full time.

“I got into trouble at school but discovered boxing a few years ago which gave me a focus and drive to change my life path,” he said.

“I would like to use my story to encourage the youth of Cayman to find a passion and follow their dreams” he said.

“I won my first professional fight at the ARC in Camana Bay against Alex Lubo in June.

That victory ranked Peter at 433 in the World, but Peter’s dream, at least for the short term, is to be ranked in the top 100.

In order to help attain his goal, Peter has organized a match against US boxer Brent Skyler for tomorrow night (26 November) at the D. Dalmain Ebanks Gym. There will also be three exhibition matches, involving local boxers.

Telling his story, Peter said: “At the age of 13 I was getting into a lot of trouble in the Cayman Islands I was hanging out with the wrong crowd. I got into so much trouble in Middle School that John Gray didn’t want to accept me.”

A chance to start afresh came when Peter’s mother, who was studying for her bachelor’s degree in Tampa, took him there with her.

But despite his resolve to turn his life around and catch up with his schoolwork, trouble came in the form of a school bully, who kept picking
on Peter.

“He sat down right next to me and spat on the table, and mixed it with dirt and tried to flick it at me,” he said. “Then he followed me. I got up and said, ‘If you’re bad – flick it on me again’. He tried – and I knocked him out with one punch.”

The school called the police, and the police thought Peter must have hit the boy with something, so they suspended him for three months.

Peter turned the misfortune around by spending that time in the Gym, where he told his story to a boxer. “He told me, ‘if you didn’t hit him with anything you ought to start boxing training.’”

Back in Cayman, three years later, because his school record had improved so much, Peter was allowed to graduate from John Gray. Since that time his training took off, he said, first with encouragement from the late Dalmain Ebanks, and presently with coaching help from Stormin’ Norman Wilson.

He is very grateful to his sponsors who have made it possible for him to become a Pro, he says.  They include PayPal, ADF Security Ltd, Cayman Airways, The RealEstate Company Ltd, Al La Kebab, Cayman Safari Adventures, Tony’s Toys, National Concrete, Rhino Rebar, Candles Unlimited, Hibiscus Spa, Cayman Water Authority, Westin Hotel Resort and Spa, Celebrations, and Dr. S. De Alwis.

Gates at the D. Dalmain Boxing Gym open at 6.30 on Saturday. Tickets will cost CI$25, and CI$100 for VIP seats.