Canada's Ismail takes last Contender quarter-final spot

"Happy birthday to me," declared a happy Tariq Ismail on Wednesday night after he earned for himself and Canada the last quarter-final spot in the Wray and Nephew Contender boxing series with a split-decision victory over Jamaica's Fabian Tucker.

Judge Laurence Neufville scored it 49-46 for Tucker; Eion Jardine, 49-46 for Ismail; and Ransford Burton, 48-47 for Ismail. The final tally after the eight-fight preliminary round of the competition saw Jamaica and Canada finishing with four victories each. The quarter-finals start next Wednesday, with Jamaica's Michael Gardener going up against Canada's David Leblond.

Ismail, who celebrated his 28th birthday on Tuesday, said at the weigh-in that he wanted to win the fight as a birthday gift to himself. He had come in a late replacement for his injured countryman Jeff Tabrizi and had oozed confidence on his arrival in Jamaica.

His victory pleased him because it gives him the opportunity to come back in a few weeks for a quarter-final contest against Richard Holmes and another shot at the Contender title and its first prize of $2 million.

Good mixture

On Wednesday, he showed a good mixture of aggression and defence. Tucker kept him under pressure early in the fight, coming in behind his jabs, and clearly won the first round. Ismail came into his own in the second round with stepped-up aggression and a mixture of jabs to the head and hooks to the body.

Tucker went cold in the fourth round and took a lot of punches to the head and body. He told The Gleaner after the fight that he decided to take a breather in that round for a late spurt in the final round, but this clearly allowed Ismail to gain confidence. The final round was close, but Ismail was always able to remain one step ahead of his opponent.