By morning he gave a sermon to 500 people at the Hamilton Seventh Day Adventist Church, by night he worked the bloody nose of his giant opponent before coming away with a deserved points decision.

This is Mason West III, well-supported by his flock during his bout against national discus record holder and CARIFTA Games athlete James Bergl, and no mean boxer.

In one of Saturday night?s most gruelling encounters, West out-boxed Bergl during a bloody and enthralling match-up.

From the outset the giant Bergl, a behemoth of a man with a frightening reach and a fearsome right, was putting in some serious blows as he imposed his size on his opponent, even wrestling him to the ground after just 20 seconds of the first round ? and earning a stiff rebuke from referee Anthony Mouchette.

But West stood his ground, took his beating and bided his time.

?I was giving away 30-40 pounds so I knew I had to box clever,? said West, who regularly swaps the pulpit for the ring.

?I knew I just had to hang in there, take the blows, and let him punch himself out.

?In the later rounds he began to tire and when I saw he had a bloody nose I just worked that, knowing that it would be hard for him to breathe.?

And West took the deserved points decision much to the delight of the crowd.

So how can a man of the cloth take part in a sport which critics around the world describe as ?barbaric??

?Boxing helps me get through life?s challenges,? he told after his victory.

?If you have the strength to step into a ring and take on a much larger man who is determined to beat you, you can take this outside the ring and deal with all the challenges that life throws at you.

?Boxing, like life, takes courage.?