Moncrieffe upsets Planter at Contender

Leroy Brown, Gleaner Writer

Hard-hitting Devon Moncrieffe scored the first upset in the Wray and Nephew Contender boxing series, Wednesday night when he notched a hard-fought victory over fourth-seed Ricardo Planter at the Chinese Benevolent Association auditorium.

Moncrieffe, who has a reputation as a slugger, fought a more controlled fight than expected and used a mixture of jabs and savage combinations to the body and head to unsettle Planter's rhythm and earn himself four of the six rounds fought. Judge Keith Brown scored it 58-56, Luke Irons and Clifford Brown had it 59-55 each.

There was an air of expectancy in the auditorium as referee Barrington Graham signalled the boxers to get going in the second quarter-final of the series being promoted by MJK Productions, sanctioned by the Jamaica Boxing Board of Control and sponsored by J. Wray and Nephew, Claro, TVJ and Foska Oats.

Moncrieffe is known for his aggressive approach and he was expected to come out swinging at the opening bell. He was more cautious than expected, however, and exchanged jabs with Planter, a skilled boxer. Planter looked very sharp and, with his jabs landing to both head and body, he gained the early ascendancy. His double jabs followed by jab-hook combinations, bothered Moncrieffe, who was also made to miss when he threw a few wild right hooks.

Moncrieffe's corner settled him down during the interval, but in the first minute of round two, it was Planter with a two-fisted attack who was in the driver's seat. Moncrieffe became a bit wild but his persistence paid off in the final minute and he landed some heavy punches to the head and body of his opponent. He also picked up a caution from the referee for wild overhand rights to Planter's head, but won the round.

More aggressive

The pace was stepped up by both fighters in the third round, and Moncrieffe became more aggressive and looked menacing. He landed two hard rights to the head, and Planter made him miss a few times, but he never relented and the last 20 seconds of the round saw both men throwing bunches of punches. Moncrieffe gained a slight edge with a flurry near the bell.

The fourth round was very competitive and saw both men having their moments of glory. Planter matched Moncrieffe punch for punch and won the round with a scintillating late burst. The pace slowed down considerably at the start of the fifth stanza, but Moncrieffe stepped up the pace near the end and took the round with a late burst of activity.

The final round saw Planter trying hard to regain the ascendancy, and he called on his boxing skills to achieve this. Moncrieffe moved in aggressively, however, and had the crowd cheering as he landed a few hard rights to the head of his opponent. The last 30 seconds of the round produced all-out action, as both men decided to go for broke. Moncrieffe attacked relentlessly, and although Planter counter-punched brilliantly, it was Moncrieffe who ended the battle triumphantly.

In the amateur bouts on the card, Ricardo Carter from the G.C. Foster Gym scored a good victory over Roxroy Farquharson from Job Walters Gym and Jermaine Bowen from Hard Knocks Gym defeated Ian Guthrie from the Heavy Metal Gym, on points.