‘Frog’ Holmes leaps into action tonight
JAMAICA’S RICHARD Holmes will make his Wray and Nephew 2017 Contender debut tonight at the Chinese Benevolent Association on Old Hope Road in St Andrew, against Canadian Mike Breton, in a junior middleweight bout scheduled for five rounds. The action starts at 8.30 p.m. with two amateur bouts. The main event will start at 9.30 p.m., and will be broadcast live on TVJ.
Holmes, who is 29, was a finalist last year, but lost to American Demarcus Corley. He told The Gleaner yesterday that it is his dream to be a Contender champion, and he will therefore be fighting hard this year to make that dream into a reality. He goes into the contest with 12 wins and six losses. His opponent is a 30-year old native of Quebec, Canada, who entered the professional ranks last year and has had four fights, winning one and losing three. He is, however, reported to be well schooled in the sport, fighting as an amateur, and has had over 40 bouts.
Holmes told The Gleaner yesterday that despite the fact that Breton has not been a professional for long, he will be
going into the ring tonight with a lot of respect for him.
“We have seen in all the fights so far that although the Canadian boxers do not have great records, they can fight. I am expecting a tough fight tonight, and I am prepared for it.”
VERY CONFIDENT
The Canadian camp is also very confident. Trainer Frank Dugay said that they have reviewed tapes of Holmes and know what to expect. “We are here to win,” he volunteered.
This is the fourth round of the preliminaries in which there are eight fights. The winners will then square off in the quarter-finals over five rounds, and those winners will graduate to the semi-finals with over seven rounds each. The final will be over 10 rounds. The title belt and $2 million will go to the winner, the runner-up pockets $500,000; third place, $250,000; and fourth place, $200,000.