Rikardo Smith Wins Contender Final

Dateline: Monday, April 28, 2011

Wednesday, April 27 dawned crisp and clear and the atmosphere across the country all day was filled with the anticipation for the expected excitement that the night would bring. One could only imagine what was going through the minds of the two boxers who would be the centre of attention as they battle each other for the first ever title of Middleweight Champion of Jamaica.

While the Chinese Benevolent Association had been the home of the Contender Series since it began, the final fight was to be held at the Constant Spring Football field, an outdoor venue. Fortune smiled on the proceedings and the weather was right with the evening air being nice and crisp. As the crowds began to gather, one could feel the anticipation building.

There were two warm-up fights on the schedule. The first between Anthony Osbourne and Donovan Campbell and the second between Kevin Hylton and Ian Smith.

The last time these two met, it ended in disqualification for Smith. He started by apologising for what had happened saying he was genuinely sorry for what had happened. He promised a clean fight and went on to deliver on this promise.

The crowd was ever growing as the time for the main event drew closer. Many local celebrities and notables from the entertainment, sports and business spheres were on hand including former boxing greats Michael McCallum, Lennox Lewis, and, of course, Richard ‘Shrimpy’ Clarke.

The moment arrived and the boxers were set to make their grand entrances. Devon Moncrief and his entourage emerged first led by the inimitable I-Octane performing to rousing applause. Rikardo Smith and his entourage emerged led by none other than Vybz Kartel taking the applause up another notch.

The referee, Barrington Graham, invited the boxers to touch gloves before the fight which was scheduled for 10 rounds. The judges for the fight were Luke Irons, Keith Brown and Clifford Brown. Round 1 saw the boxers feeling each other out. Moncrief managed to let loose a several testy blows while Smith went to work on his opponent's perceived weaknesses. Round 2 saw Smith working to avoid Moncrief's much discussed big right hand which had so far felled two of his three opponents in the series.

Smith was at his technical best in Round 3, executing excellent jabs and counter-punches taking advantage of his superior reach advantage. Moncrief was not to be outdone and stepped up his game displaying skill and prowess as he used his jab against Smith in an aggressive display of force.

Round 4 found Smith on the back foot as Moncrief went on a punching spree hitting Smith with his big right hand and landing a few choice upper cuts. Smith made an effort to protect himself while trying to get back on the attack. The massive crowd was on its feet. You could hear the crowd chanting “Moncrief! Moncrief!” It was definitely a big round for Moncrief but Smith still had more in store.

In Round 5, Smith came out of his blue corner countering everything that Moncrief threw at him. In the flurry and frenzy and probably also because of the height difference, Moncrief landed a blow that was low enough to attract the referee's attention and he was advised to keep his punches up. The audience for their part were animated and excited. Smith resumed the action switching to a southpaw style and it appeared to confuse Moncrief. Smith was on the attack and finished the round with a flurry of combinations.

Round 6 found Smith administering more of the same. He was clinical in his use of the jab and his ring experience was on show. Smith has fought signicantly more rounds in the series and displayed more endurance as the fight wore on. Moncrief on the other hand appeared to be tiring. He was no longer advancing on Smith and this left Smith searching intently for an opening to launch a fullscale assault.

The excitement of the audience was at fever pitch. Moncrief was still throwing big rights but more often than not, missing his target. Round 7 saw a world of trouble for Moncrief. Smith continued his assault with several jabs that had now begun to close Moncrief's right eye. Moncrief continued to throw his massive right hand but kept missing Smith.

Smith came back at full force in Round 8. He was on the attack and Moncrief could not withstand the precise attack of The Surgeon. There was a flurry of combinations as Smith chased Moncrief around the ring raining more blows upon him. Moncrief was in trouble but did not go down. He endured at least half a dozen unanswered punches and was partially knocked down but used his arm to raise himself back up. The assault continued and the referee stepped into rescue Moncrief who while he was still on his feet would most likely be unable to recover.

With that, Rikardo Smith had captured the first ever Middleweight Champion of Jamaica belt and made local boxing history. Smith was presented with a cheque for $1,000,000 to the delight of his fans and wellwishers. Moncrief as the runner-up was presented with a cheque for $500,000. Sakima Mullings as second runner-up was presented with a cheque for $250,000. Tsetsi Davis was awarded $200,000 as the third runner-up.

Fans can now look forward to what the JBBC has planned next including several grudge matches and rematches between former contenders and others. Several boxers are also already in training to qualify for Season 2. JBBC President, William Tavares-Finson, expressed his thanks to the public and the sponsors for the support that boxing on a whole has received since the start of the series and promised that the organisation would do it's best to take advantage of the opportunity it has been given.

Contributor: Sandra Lloyd