Big fight card set for Sept 24

Leighton Levy, Gleaner Writer

A confident Sakima Mullings, Jamaica's Commonwealth Zonal Champion, believes he is ready to face the challenge of Lloyd Smith when the two meet in the main event of the Bruising Gym's Third Anniversary Fight Card set for the Stony Hill Primary and Junior High School on Saturday, September 24.

The event is being dubbed the biggest-ever fight card to be staged in Jamaica - with 17 fights on one night. The Mullings-Smith encounter is to be the only professional encounter on a night that will also feature 32 boxers in 16 three-round amateur bouts. The boxers hail from nine gyms across the island, including G4S, JDF, Boys' Town, Stanley Couch, Heavy Metal, Hard Knocks, Sugar, Bruising and the G.C. Foster Gym. The event is to be the first of five Burger King-sponsored fight nights to be staged by year end.

Clad in a white T-shirt and jeans and looking relaxed as he addressed members of the media at the press launch at the Altamont Court Hotel in Kingston yesterday, Mullings said he was focused and training well for his six-round non-title fight with Smith.

"I'm happy to be here and looking forward to fighting," he said.

His focus, Mullings said, is on fight night but he has greater objectives in the near future. Fighting before a home crowd, the 25-year-old Mullings scored a fifth-round knockout of Guyanese boxer Winston Pompey in June to take the zonal title. The victory and subsequent title helped atone for his third-place finish in the exciting Contender series that had concluded only a few weeks before.

Now, he is eager to climb even higher as he aims for a shot at a world title. He explained that before he can contend for another Commonwealth title he needs at least 10 fights under his belt. This coming fight, he said, is just another step in that direction.

Smith, who also participated in the Contender series, said he too was eager to fight. The fighter, who hails from Westmoreland, said the people from his parish are looking forward to the fight. "Westmoreland and Jamaica want to see boxing," he said.

Michael Gardener, Michael Holmes, Kestna Davis, Anthony Clarke and Dwayne Blake are some of the other boxers who will be fighting on the card that will be used to showcase some of Jamaica's boxing talent before the national championships, set for November.