NOT even a fourth round knock-down by Richard ‘Frog’ Holmes in the preliminary stage of the 2015 Wray & Nephew White Overproof Contender Boxing Series managed to heighten the excitement of the contest at the Chinese Benevolent Association (CBA) auditorium on Wednesday night.

It was a disappointing six-round scuffle to say the least in the fifth renewal of the boxing series. Nonetheless, the Team Jamaica representative did enough to walk away with a unanimous decision over his Barbadian southpaw opponent Charwin Estwick, representing Team Caribbean. With the Holmes victory and only two more fights remaining in the preliminary stage of the Contender Boxing showpiece, Team Jamaica have taken an unassailable 5-1 lead over Team Caribbean, whose only success this far has come from Guyanese Derick Richmond.

Holmes, who was prepared for the contest by Carl Grant, the Team Jamaica coach, admitted afterwards that he was not at his best

“I failed to utilise my left jabs and right crosses in the fight, but it was my first fight for the season and the style of Estwick could have been the reason for me not bringing that part of my preparation more effectively into play.

“He is a strong kid and you cannot be too careless in your approach against a puncher who swings, as anything can happen. To be honest, he caught me with a really good punch…It was a punch that almost knocked me off my feet. However, now that this first fight is out of the way, you can expect a better approach and a better Holmes as the series continues,” he promised.

Estwick, who was losing for the second time in his two professional fights, countered what was viewed as a knock-down in the fourth round.

“He hit me with a good shot, but he then threw me down. It was very unnecessary, [and] it was not a knock-down,” Estwick claimed.