Dancehall artiste Shane O said he was excited when the opportunity to perform at the second installment of the Wray & Nephew Fight Nights series presented itself.

Hosted by the Jamaica Boxing Board of Control, the event saw several lead-up fights to the main course of the heavyweight boxing square-off between Headley Scott and Roman Canto.

“Mi feel great inna miself, you know. Mi is a artiste with the type of music fi dem kinda event yah, positive music right through,” said Shane O in an interview, post-performance, at Arnett Gardens Sports Complex, Saturday night.

Now in his early thirties, Shane O exploded onto the music scene in 2005 with the Applause rhythm-laced Lightning Flash.

The deejay feels he has evolved, over time, and has kept his music to the ears of fans by being consistent with the latest trends.

“The lyrics, that’s what’s important. Before mi write a song, mi come wid a topic and concept. Mi try stay inna my lane,” he reasoned.

During the entertainment segment of Wray & Nephew Fight Nights Shane O delivered a blistering performance featuring both old and current hits. He also threw in two new tracks, the haunting Breakdown and My Last, for good measure.

Dark Room and Partner Draw were a part of his hit list.

The artiste said he is an avid boxing fan.

“Yes, mi watch boxing and basketball all the time. Dem two deh a mi favourite sport. But boxing nuh normal. Yuh haffi solid out deh inna di ring,” said Shane O.

He said the initiative, which brought several people from the community of Arnett Gardens and surrounding areas, was a good way to help to unite individuals while providing entertainment and exposure to the sport of boxing in the inner city.

“Is a great thing fi di community because di people dem a live inna fear these days, so when a nice event like this put together, dem a say, ‘Yes, wi can go hold a vibe.’ Is a great vibe to see the kids and the families dem out having fun and the police here ensuring their safety,” Shane O disclosed.

Aside from ring-side girls, broadcaster and comedian Christopher “Johnny” Daley also formed part of the entertainment presentation.

Pavel Smith, marketing manager, Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum, spoke about the success of the event series: “We have persons here from uptown, downtown, and other communities who have come into Arnett Gardens to show support for local boxing, local talent, and for us, it’s just a great feeling, seeing the amount of camaraderie here tonight. It’s a pleasure for us at Wray & Nephew to be a part of the Fight Nights series.”

Asked why Arnett Gardens was chosen as the location for the latest series, he said: “Community and camaraderie. Those are some of the things that Wray & Nephew tries to support across Jamaica. So, for us, the grass roots is important. These are the consumers who are supporting our brands, and we want to give back, doing these types of activities, you know, different type of recreational ways of having fun. And just creating that community spirit, is important to us.”