The die has been cast: Rough diamond, Kemahl Russell, has thrown down the gauntlet and will contest the 2015 Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum Contender Boxing Series final following his emphatic and unanimous eight-round decision against Devon ‘Concrete’ Moncriffe in the first semi-final at the Chinese Benevolent Association on Wednesday night.

Profiling as the best middleweight boxing prospect Jamaica has produced since Michael McCallum, Russell, like McCallum who hails from the Olympic Gardens in Kingston, wasted little time to show Moncriffe who could emerge the likely winner from the opening gong with his dynamic approach.

It was an approach that the more experienced Moncriffe tried to stifle by getting in close.

But so emphatic was Russell’s display over the eight round contest that before the announcement was made, the oversized crowd had already stood in anticipation of a positive decision for Russell.

And when the proclamation came from ring announcer Oliver Hardy that he had won by unanimous decision — after judges Ian Jardine had scored the bout 79-74 and Clifford Brown and Lindel Iron 79-73 — all in favour of Russell, the jubilation began.

Reaching the final of the Contender is only part of the ongoing process of preparation and now Russell awaits the outcome of the second semi-final result between Tsetsi Davis and Richard Holmes scheduled for the same venue next Wednesday.

Russell didn’t gloat over the victory, but exhibited an air of expectancy: “I had everything going for me in the ring tonight: age difference, height difference, reach difference; everything was on my side tonight, so I was the victor, (boxing) skills everything.”

Asked whether or not he had intentions of knocking out Moncriffe, Russell responded with an emphatic, “Yes”. But said that he was hampered by bruised right-hand knuckles. “Nonetheless, I still got eight rounds in which is a plus, and I’m just glad that I got the victory.”

At one stage of the fight, Russell began showboating and was asked if it was because he was overconfident as he had the fight won by the fourth round. “No, it was not overconfidence. I was just enjoying myself. I always try to enjoy myself in the fights because the training is serious and rough,” he responded.

Trainer Castro Brown said that there was nothing he was disappointed with in the fight. “You will have to bear in mind that Moncriffe is the previous winner and an ex-champion. Russell is a youth. This is his sixth fight and he is improving all the time. This is the best middleweight fighter to emerge since McCallum. This youth is going beyond the Contender Series. His whole training team is behind him and he is going all the way to win the Contender,” Brown said.

The vanquished Moncriffe said that he was not disappointed with his performance. “I could not care what anybody wants to say. I went out there and I did my best. I am a hardworking man. I work five days of the week and I am still coming out of the Contender with something. “I’m a happy man. I feel wonderfully good with my performance. Many say that they are better than me, but they are afraid to face the music. It is the third time I’ve entered and it is the third time that I have reached this far and beyond. So I feel good about myself and give God thanks,” Moncriffe said.