Smith, Moncrieffe in million-dollar showdown

Leroy Brown, Gleaner Writer

In what is being billed as the 'Showdown at the Spring', hard-hitting Devon Moncrieffe will take on the skilful Rikardo Smith tonight over 10 rounds, for the right to be called the J Wray and Nephew Contender 2011 and middleweight boxing champion of Jamaica, in the grand finale of the boxing series at the Constant Spring football field.

Moncrieffe and Smith go for the main prize of $1 million. The loser will take home $500,000 and third and fourth place finishers $250,000 and $200,000, respectively.

Ironically, Tsetsi Davis and Sakima Mullings will be rooting for the men who beat them, as third place will go to the boxer who lost to tonight's winner, and fourth to the boxer who lost to the loser.

The two-hour show will be telecast live on TVJ, starting at 8:30, with two preliminary fights.

Tonight's showdown will bring an end to a journey by 16 of Jamaica's middleweight boxers, that started on January 5.

Only two men are left standing after several weeks of exciting boxing, that has brought a new glow to the sport called the 'Sweet Science'.

When the promoters, MJK Productions and the Jamaica Boxing Board of Control started this journey with the assistance of sponsors J Wray and Nephew Limited, Claro, Foska Oats and TVJ, they were in uncharted waters. But it led to Jamaica's boxing fans either trekking to the Chinese Benevolent Association auditorium, or staying home glued to their television sets each Wednesday night, as the drama unfolded.

Strong following

Moncrieffe, who is a muscular 5' 8" athlete, won two of his three fights inside the distance and has a very strong following. He has used a no-holds-barred approach throughout the competition and in the semi-finals, he blasted away the No. 1 seeded Davis in two rounds, with a blistering attack.

Smith, who is an elegant six-footer, has been clinical. He went the distance in his three fights against Anthony Osbourne, Donovan Campbell and the No. 2 seeded Sakima Mullings, but he has shown that he is a complete package. Smith has good hand speed and punching power, excellent footwork and exceptional defensive skills.

His semi-final against Mullings has been the best fight of the competition so far.

Moncrieffe has made it clear that his aim is to knockout his opponent, plain and simple. He is going to attack, attack, attack, and his opponent will have to find a way to nullify those attacks.

Smith is without doubt capable of doing so, and his trainer, Andrew Boland, said yesterday, "he is going to be a matador".

On the other hand, Moncrieffe's trainer, Dwight Rainford, stated that, "Devon is the best and will be the champion, no question".

In the preliminary fights - over six rounds each - Ricardo Planter will fight Anthony Osbourne, and Ian 'Hagler' Smith, who lost by disqualification to Kevin Harvey, gets a chance to redeem himself in a rematch.