Richard Reittie and Ricardo Planter boxed themselves into the hearts of thousands who watched their second stage showdown in the Wray & Nephew Contender Boxing series encounter on Television and those who were present at the Chinese Benevolent Association on Wednesday night to witness the most entertaining fight sofar of the 2013 series.

At the final bell when ring announcer Oliver Hardie made the announcement, it was Reittie who got the judges’ nod. Albeit narrowly as judges Keith Brown scored the bout 58-56, Clifford Brown 58-57 and Linden Irons 58-57, all in favour of the winner Reittie.

“It was a close fight,” Reittie admitted. “I thought I won the fight,” he added.

“It was a good close fight. It couldn’t be close, Him tricky and him tough and you must give him credit. I must admit it was a good fight all-round,” Reittie said.

Reittie’s trainer Carl Grant weighed in on the exciting bout. “Because he caught my fighter with couple strong punches, but if you look throughout the fight for the six rounds my fighter was the more aggressive and he caught him with cleaner punches, while Planter was doing a lot of holding rather than fighting,” he noted.

It was a decision that could have gone either way, and from a boxing purist’s evaluation, the decision was exceptionable. However, the judges were in their right to give the verdict to the boxer who was the more active during the fight.

While Planter won the first, second and fourth rounds he was less active in the remaining rounds by delaying his punches which allowed Reittie busy room.

At the end of the fight, Planter while not objecting to the decision, was very disappointed with himself for not being more active in rounds three, five and six. Rounds in which he may not have done enough to be accorded victory.

“It is in some way my fault. I should have been more active,” said Planter.

Planter’s trainer, Andrew Boland, had a critique of his boxer. “He (Planter) waited on his punches for too long. You cannot stay 30 seconds without throwing your punches and expect to win a fight that is scheduled for only six rounds… that was his major downfall,” Boland lamented.