SPORTS SECTION E
Monday, December 8, 2025
HERO WORLD - Page 8
‘Flashy King’ wins
By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
CARL “Flashy King” Hield, a man on a mission, exploded for a second round victory to successfully defend his pair of titles on Saturday night at the Coliseo Menor de Villa Olimpica en Santa Marta, Colombia. The 39-year-old Hield stopped Jose Luis Prieto of Colombia for his sixth victory for the year to remain undefeated in his professional career at 14-0. In defending his World Boxing Association's FedeCaribe and National Boxing Association's super welterweight titles, Hield dropped 40-year-old Prieto to 28-17. In dedicating the fight to his deceased mother, Norma Hield, Hield thanked God, his sponsors Production Guru, Rigger242, R&P Sports Management, Rolling Type Importanters Limited and Strikers Boxing Club, and all of his supporters for their support. "We knew this was going to be a tough opponent. We studied him, but just looking at the first round, I felt I could have gotten him out earlier," Hield said. "So I just started to use more of my distance and cut the ring off. A little bit into the second round, I was able to get the knockout with the uppercut to the head. "I wasn't expecting it, but it just came off with the punches. It was two body shots. When he was going down, the uppercut came at the same time and that was it." Hield said he really wanted to fight for the World Boxing Council's super middleweight title fight at home, but things didn't materialise. "I'm looking to have my US debut next year to fight for the WBC title, but I guess it's just good to finish the year undefeated and to
Pro boxer Carl Hield stops Colombian Prieto to remain undefeated at 14-0
WINNING WAYS: Carl “Flashy King” Hield has his hand raised by the referee after his victory. be able to look forward to the big fights to get put on next year." Hield, who is scheduled to return home today, said he will be right back in the gym training because he has to stay ready in the event that he gets a phone call for a fight. "I will celebrate in the gym. No days off," Hield stressed. "Professional is
different from amateurs. With the amateurs, you don't know if you are going to a competition or not. So you don't have to train so hard. "But with the professional ranks, you have to be training at all times to be prepared because you never know when you will get that phone call that could come to change your life with a
big fight. You have to stay ready." Hield said once he gets home, he will relax for a day or two, spending some time with his family and then talk to his management team about what's next. "I only fought two rounds so when I get back into the gym, I will be working on things that I didn't get
to do or I didn't do right in the two rounds," Hield said. "The fight was scheduled for 10 rounds, but I got a special knockout in the second round." Hield asked the Bahamian public to stay tuned because he plans on electrifying the boxing world by winning a "world title" very soon. If he does,
he will become only the second Bahamian to do so. Everette 'Elisha Obed' Ferguson still holds that distinction, having won the WBC's light middleweight title over Miguel de Oliveira in 1975 in Paris, France, before he defended it twice, eventually losing it a year later to Germany's Eckhard Dagge in 1976.
Rhema scores 40 for her 4th double-double of season By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
Leads Florida International University RHEMA Collins posted to 103-92 win over Georgia State
her biggest performance, scoring 40 points in her fourth double-double of the season to lead the Florida International University Lady Panthers in a 103-92 win over Georgia State Lady Panthers on Friday evening. Collins, a junior transfer from the Ole Miss Lady
Rebels, shattered her previous career-high of 19 points to produce FIU's first 40-point performance since 2017 when Alexis Gordon reached the mark against Vermont. The six-foot, twoinch Collins was a
dominant factor on the inside as she became just the seventh player in FIU history since 1994 to score 40 in a game and recorded the highest single-game total of coach Jesyke BurksWiley era. Her ability to score at will, even with two or three defenders on her, allowed her to emerge as one of only seven players with 40-point games in NCAA women's basketball this season. And she's now tied for the sixth-highest individual scoring performance nationwide as she added 13 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and three steals. "I felt pretty good about it," said Collins about her team's victory. "I'm happy we got the win. It definitely wasn’t a perfect win, we have a lot of things to work on." Collins posted 21 points in the first quarter as FIU set the tone early in the shootout, dropping a season-high 37 points and adding 26 more in the second. The Panthers' 63 first-half points marked the most in any opening half under Burks-Wiley, sending FIU into the break with a commanding 63-44 lead. "I
guess you could say I was in a groove," she lamented about her performance. "It was just one of those nights where a lot of things were going right for me." When asked if she had any regrets about her decision to switch from Ole Miss to FIU, Collins noted that she didn't because "I'm happy with the choice I made and comfortable with where I'm at." She's now teaming up with fellow Bahamian point guard Denika Lightbourne and was surprised by the visit of Anthony Swaby, who has coached both of them at home in The Bahamas. "I was shocked to see him there but I’m glad he was," said Collins about Swaby. "It's always nice to see someone from home, especially someone that supports me in a lot of things. Lightbourne, a 5-9 guard who made a transfer from Dayton, played 16 minutes as she contributed three points, four rebounds and four assists. "Rhema made me so proud and although Denika didn't have a good game, I was proud watching them both play," Swaby said.
COACH Anthony Swaby, centre, shares a special moment with Rhema Collins, left, and Denika Lightbourne. "Rhema had 38 points with about three minutes to go and heard some of the guys on the men's team telling the coach to put Rhema back on the court to try for 40." Also in attendance was former Bahamian national team player Alexandria 'Shaq' Fernander, who played for Barry University and is now married and living in Miami. Collins led four players in double figures as she was joined by Parris Atkins, who had 17 points, six rebounds, two assists, and three steals and freshman Grecia Ferrer Leal also got a new careerhigh with 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting, along with five boards, three assists, and three steals.
Judit Valero added her first double-digit performance of the season with 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Ndate Ndiaya rounded out the group with 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting. The 103-point output is FIU's highest since the programme posted a record 132 points in the 2024–25 season opener. It also marks the sixth 100-point game of the Burks-Wiley era. The Panthers, who improved to 4-3 and sixth in the Conference USA standings, will head up to Boca Raton to matchup against their in-state rival, Florida Atlantic, at 7pm on Monday, December 15 in a live broadcast game on ESPN+.