‘Sub Zero’ Lewis faces tough test

JAMAICA’S RAMEL ‘Sub Zero’ Lewis, will try to earn himself a place in the Wray and Nephew Contender quarterfinals tonight, when he clashes with dangerous Canadian Ryan Young in the eighth and final preliminary bout of the series. The action starts at 8.30 p.m. at the Chinese Benevolent Association auditorium with two amateur bouts. The main bout, which will be broadcast live by Television Jamaica, will go on at 9.30 p.m..

This encounter promises to be an explosive one -as both men are aggressive and have good knockout records. Young, who is from Ontario, Canada, is a seasoned campaigner, and said yesterday that he has “put in a lot of work for this fight, and my plan is to go all the way.” He has a record of 10 wins and two losses, and eight of his victories have been by knockout or technical knockout.

His two losses came in his last two fights. In November 2016, he lost by technical knockout in Round One, to Phil Rose, who is already in the quarter-finals, following his victory over Jamaican contender Ricardo Planter, and last month, he failed to win the Canada Super Welterweight title when he lost to Kevin Higson by unanimous decision.

SETBACKS

Despite these recent setbacks, he is very confident of victory and volunteered that he can “win either at long range or inside”.

Lewis told The Gleaner yesterday, that he has ‘worked hard for the past two months, and my condition is good’.

He has, however, not fought since May 4 last year, when he lost in the Contender competition to Michael Gardener. At 5’ 5” he will concede a height and reach advantage to Young, who is a six-footer. The indications are that with this advantage, Young will keep at long range and use his boxing skills, and Lewis will therefore have to find ways of getting inside to work the body.

It is a very intriguing matchup, and tactics and punching power will definitely come into play in deciding the winner. Lewis has a 7-5 record with four knockouts, and has shown in the past that he can take out an opponent when the opportunity presents itself. He will, however, have to cope with the boxing skills of Young, and that will make the plot even more interesting.