Davis, Mullings battle for place in Contender Series finale
The final three bouts for the Wray and Nephew White Overproof Rum Contender Boxing Series — Jamaica’s Ultimate Junior Middleweight Contender title — begins with the first of two semi-final bouts between old foes, former champion Sakima Mullings and perennial challenger Tsetsi Davis at the Mico College Auditorium today at 8:30 pm.
The Mullings-Davis clash going seven rounds headlines a three-fight pro-am under card that will provide action for up to 15 rounds.
To the quarter-final stages each fight was contested over five rounds, with the final for the Jamaica Junior Middleweight Contender crown and the major share of $3,000,000 set for a 10-round showdown.
The under card pro fight will feature Devon Moncriffe of Jamaica against Winston Mathews of Canada over five rounds.
Both Matthews and and Moncriffe lost narrowly in their opening fights of the Contender Series — Matthews to Mullings and Moncriffe to Phil Rose.
Meanwhile, the third fight on the card, which is an amateur lightweight skit over three rounds, is between Patrick Sahadeo of the Jamaica Defence Force and an unnamed Canadian who was yet to be confirmed up to press time.
It is a battle between the natural welterweight (Mullings) and the natural middleweight (Davis). At the weigh-in, both fighters looked keen to the tee, with Davis weighing in at 153 ½lb and giving the impression that he wanted to jump out of his skin. Yet, his trainer Wayne Sharp took umbrage against the quick return to the ring of his boxer: “Only one week between fights? That was not enough time for my boxer to fully recuperate from his last fight going five rounds. He should be fighting in the next semi-final instead.
“But”, he went on, “Tsetsi has trained well and will be just as effective in this fight as he was in his last encounter against Ryan Young, even though we had to cut our training schedule to fit into the time allotted to be ready again.”
Davis, who lost to Mullings in the 2014 Contender final, did not have much to say. But he promised “a memorable showing.
“I cannot say anything on how this fight will end. I would rather talk inside the ring and not outside. One thing I am sure of, I have work to do, so I’ve trained hard to work and get a good result. If my best is good enough then so be it. If not, then, I have still done my best.”
Mullings promised “I am supremely confident of a high performance. Davis had added different elements to his game and I am expecting another good performance from him. But I have high expectations for myself. We have trained well with high anticipation for whatever he (Davis) brings to the table. He is a strong and capable fighter, but we are supremely confident to meet those different elements he has acquired head on.”