All is now set for the third edition of the Wray & Nephew Fight Night, and if the promise of the eight boxers on the card is anything to go by, then patrons will be in for a treat at the Ebony Vale Community Centre in Spanish Town on Saturday.

The main bout will see Jamaica Defence Force's Ian "Impact" Darby, in his first professional fight on local soil and he is brimming with confidence that his rival Fabian "Truck" Tucker will not last beyond the second round.

"The training level has been intense. We have a concept in the army that whatever task we are given, we must be prepared for it and so the Impact is well prepared. All thanks to my team, I am ready to come and showcase what I have been doing in my preparation for this fight. I am saying second round, knockout. The Impact is going to be victorious," he declared.

However, Tucker has other ideas.

"He is going to come under a lot of pressure because I am short, and he is tall, so I am going to stick on him the whole night. I will say maybe the third round (to knockout the opponent), definitely maybe the third round," said Tucker, who added that his preparation had gone well.

For the first time since its inception, there will be a female match-up in the series. National representative Sherikee Moore will face off with Shanika "G Girl" Gordon.

Gordon explained that she is fit and ready, especially with her army background.

"They (spectators) should come out and watch this fight card because I know I will do my best. I will provide proper technique and everything because I am doing what I love so I Know I will put in the work," she said.

Moore echoed similar sentiments.

"You can expect the best as always. I'll come out and do my best, show my styles and my techniques. As for my opponent, the only thing I expect her to have over me is the fitness. I do believe I still have the fitness as well, although she might have more fitness than I do, so it's not going to be challenging. I think I'll handle this, and I'll do my best."

Meanwhile, National coach Felipe Sanchez who is responsible for putting the fight card together, is very upbeat about the prospects.

"Something that is particularly interesting to me is that we have three of Jamaica's national boxers fighting other boxers. So here, we are going to see if they are still the sharpest or are there other sharper tools in the shed. So, this is going to be very interesting to see if they keep their crown or if we have new rising stars on our hands so that is something interesting to look out for because nobody wants to go back to their gym or hometown to say I lost and worst when it's on national television," the coach reasoned.

President of the Jamaica Boxing Association Stephen Bomber Jones lauded the partnership with Wray & Nephew in bringing back high-quality boxing on a consistent basis.

"It feels like our relationship is getting even stronger because it's not uncommon. Everybody understand that two of the bigger facets of Jamaica is our sports and our music and Wray & Nephew being committed and aligned with boxing for so many years not only makes sure that these shows get the production that is necessary, and the boxers get the platform, but they are now incorporating sport and music together by bringing an entertainment package at the end of each show and this Saturday we will have Capleton finishing off the festivities.

"So, the fireworks are going to be there early, from our amateur boxers to the pros, and the community and venue being such a beautiful venue, I think it's going to be a fantastic night of boxing, so I am looking forward to it," Jones noted.

Other boxers on the card are:

Amateurs

Kimarley Samuels vs Kevon Mckenzie

Calvin Mignott vs Shiaeine Blake

Sanji Williams (national boxer) vs Kirk Heron

Demar Haslam vs Delano McLaughlin

Jaden Eccleston vs Roberto William

Ackeem Allen vs Daniel Hylton (national boxer)

Professionals

Renaldo Beckford vs Cleveland Stevenson

Janathan Hason vs challenger to be announced

“A paradigm shift for boxing in Jamaica,” is how Jamaica Boxing Board President, Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones described the country’s newest platform for boxers to show off their skills, Wray & Nephew Fight Nights.

“These are exciting times. I think the events will speak for themselves in terms of how we shift the paradigm of boxing in Jamaica going forward,” Jones said at the launch of the event on Wednesday.

“I want to thank Wray & Nephew. They bought into the vision of the Boxing board when our mandate was to expand the footprint of the sport island wide and now, that we’ve got to another level and with the mandate changing to expanding the footprint globally, they didn’t miss a beat,” he added.

The idea, according to Jones, is to have a Pro Am card at least eight times a year with at least six amateur bouts and two professional fights.

The first card will take place at the Kling Kling Oval in Olympic Gardens on July 1 and will be headlined by a pro fight between Jermaine ‘Breezy’ Richards and Omar ‘Crane’ Edmund. The night will also feature seven amateur bouts.

“Breezy who is the main event is a 2-0 fighter and the idea is, if he wins on July 1, that, by next year this time with his proper management and his promoter, you’d have watched him get to at least 9-0 and where there’s a Breezy, we have many more boxers,” Jones said.

“Where it is that we were turning boxers into world champions once every decade, the idea is now to be always having, year after year, talented Jamaican boxers with an opportunity to get a title fight,” he added.

Jones says he wants to use this platform to help Jamaica produce home-grown world champions in the sport.

“It’s common knowledge that for decades, Jamaica has been producing world champions from all different categories and weight classes. People like Mike McCallum, Trevor Berbick and Nicholas ‘Axeman’ Walters to name a few. What those boxers have in common was that they all had to chart their career overseas. This Wray & Nephew Fight Night series is about to change that,” said Jones.

“This is about putting our local boxers on the face of international boxing,” said Wray & Nephew Marketing Manager, Pavel Smith.

“You don’t have to now go overseas to develop your career. You can stay right here, train at the local gyms and have an opportunity to build your professional career and have your title fights here in Jamaica,” he added.

Thirteen persons trained as boxing officials graduated from an intensive three-week course at the G.C Foster College on Tuesday and some are set to get their first jobs on a 10 fight-card to be staged this Friday under the Jamaica Boxing Board’s Gloves Over Guns initiative.

Twenty applicants had enrolled in the course that ran from October 13 to November 5. However, six men and seven women completed the course. It was the first time that this many women were being trained as boxing officials in Jamaica.

"We covered the duties and responsibilities of referees and judges.  We looked at things the referee should do before the bout, during the bout and after the bout,” said Kevin Stupart, AIBA certified instructor, who conducted the course.

“The reason we broke that down into three segments was for ease and simplicity in terms of teaching it and letting them understand the different fundamentals as it relates to boxing officiating."

Toniann Lindsay, one of the graduates expressed her satisfaction at being able to complete the intensive course.

 "I wanted to be one that passed. I didn't want to be come through and drop out because it wasn't just 13 of us that started the course but 13 of us finished strong,” she said.

“We learned a lot in this course.  We learned the roles and responsibilities of both being a judge and a referee.  It was a very interesting course and I am so elated to be here right now at this ceremony collecting my certificate.  (I) look forward to Friday as we will also be displaying what we have learnt.  I just want to thank everyone who made this possible."

Jamaica Boxing Board President Stephen 'Bomber' Jones and Chester McCarthy, Athletic Director at GC Foster College both welcomed the first cohort of trainees.

“This will first of all allow us to have more activity on the same evening or closer bouts, week to week as we are looking to have closer bouts now,” Jones remarked.

“It will open our minds, expand our thinking as we try and get into high school boxing where we could have officials at multiple venues. Now that we have 13 officials graduating, its huge.  The graduates are very excited.  They are young, enthusiastic and they are willing to work so starting from this Friday they will be in the ring.”

McCarthy, meanwhile, expressed similar sentiments.

"I am extremely elated for the primary reason that this is the first time in five or six years that we have been able to train a fresh set of officials for boxing here in Jamaica,” he said.

It’s an extremely good feeling to have partnered with the Jamaica Boxing Association to train these youngsters."

 Come Friday, there will be nine amateur fights and a professional fight between Jermaine 'Breezy' Richards and Mason 'Common Fowl' Brown.

 The Jamaica Boxing Board and GC Foster College on Wednesday announced a partnership to develop and grow the sport of boxing on the island and the wider Caribbean. Under the partnership agreement, GC Foster, Jamaica’s only sports college, will become a hub for a national training programme as well as offer related coaching courses that will help raise the level of the sport.

Beyond that, GC Foster College will be the host of the Gloves over Guns initiative that aims to channel youth away from the negative influences of the community and onto a more progressive pathway. The Jamaica Boxing Board has already provided the college with equipment and a new ring is to be delivered in the near future to the tertiary institution will be afforded national gym status.

“I think we can expect to change the game for the sport of boxing not only in Jamaica but in the Caribbean.  GC Foster College speaks for itself.  What they do for the community and the country, aligning with an institution like that is only going to raise our game, raise our level in terms of the boxing that we have here, the coaches that we have access to, the officials that we have access to in terms of recruiting and have a hub which we can train from a national programme, which we can invite international bodies to come and do courses here and to have it elevate our sport on that level,” said boxing board president Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones.

“Then the fact that GC Foster has agreed to be the hub for Gloves Over Guns in Spanish Town where we can do the sport for development and deal with the boys and girls here, have them a part of the invitationals and have them a part of the mentorship programme I think is going to go a long way so we are very, very excited.”

Principal of GC Foster Maurice Wilson said he is looking forward to the opportunities that will be afforded to the youth in the parish.

“I am extremely excited for the community of GC Foster College and its environs – Spanish Town and indeed St. Catherine.  I think this was a venture long in waiting.  I do believe the benefits are going to supersede the time that we waited,” said Wilson.

“We have seen where boxing would have changed the lives of so many youngsters. Sonny Liston, who had numerous problems with the law, became heavyweight champion and it helped him somewhat. Mike Tyson, Cassius Clay later Mohamed Ali, who really stood up against certain things, however, they thought that he was breaking the law but boxing was able to guide him along a particular pathway.

“We are cognizant of some of the factors facing youngsters in Jamaica.  We are sure that with the collaboration of the boxing board we will be able to give the youngsters greater opportunities, we will give them options in terms of career, becoming a professional boxer, we will engage them in their extra-curricular activities that are done in a more purposeful way and the fact that the boxing board is providing relevant and current equipment will make it even so much easier."

The GC Foster principal says he expects nothing but success from the partnership.

 “We also believe that if there is any institution in Jamaica, that can provide the proper base, the proper support, that institution would be GC Foster.  So we are extremely happy about the collaboration.  GC Foster will benefit.  Jamaica will benefit.  The youngsters in this country will benefit and overall the economy can benefit because as you know professional boxers that do well make a lot of money.”