1 week ago
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STEPHEN ‘BOMBER’ Jones, president of the Jamaica Boxing Board (JBB), said the upcoming Wray & Nephew Fight Night will be more than just a boxing showcase, as the proceeds raised from the event will be donated towards Hurricane Melissa recovery efforts.
The final Fight Night of the year will be held on December 13 at the Constant Spring Sports Complex with seven amateur and three professional bouts on the night’s fight card.
Speaking at the event’s press launch earlier this week, Jones said it will be a special night as they will look to raise funds and items needed for those who have been impacted by the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
He explained the JBB had not initially planned to host a Fight Night for the rest of the year due to the impact of the hurricane, but impassioned calls from boxers and boxing fans had changed the minds of his executive.
“It warms my heart because I never thought we would have boxing for the rest of this year,’ Jones admitted.
“But in terms of the chaos that was felt and the displacement that everyone was going through and the confusion all around, the only thing that seemed to bring them together was the fact that the boxing gyms were welcoming them.
“They went to the gyms as a place of solace and they came together in training and they asked for this. So literally, boxing is a beacon of hope for them and a way forward and something that gave them solace day to day.”
In order to raise the funds needed to help those impacted by the hurricane, Jones said they will be charging an entry fee at the gates for the first time ever.
He said general entry will cost $500 or a donation of non-perishable food, while those in VIP will pay an entry fee of $5,000.
The proceeds will go to boxers based in Montego Bay who have been impacted by the hurricane, as well as the Savanna-la-Mar chapter of the YMCA.
“It means a lot because for the first time we will be charging at the gate. It was not only from the Boxing Board perspective thinking that it was a good idea, but also suggestions from the public and the boxing fans to say, ‘Let’s help everybody to build back together’,” he said.
“For this fight card, all the proceeds will go to towards the boxing families in Montego Bay that were affected and to the Savanna-la-Mar chapter of the YMCA as well.”
“The entry fee could be a donation, general entry is $500 or tin food and the VIP is $5000. But the proceeds will all go towards helping the boxers build back.”
Jones said it was important for the JBB to provide support in anyway they can, as the hurricane had not only impacted western Jamaica, but had left scars islandwide.
“Having the show here so quickly after has actually tempered the emotions of people psychologically affected,” he explained
“I mean, those in Kingston were psychologically affected so you can only imagine those outside of Kingston who have no roofs or no homes,” Jones continued.
“For them to come back and be training harder and becoming stronger and be thankful for life, we could only welcome it and be encouraged by it and support it.”
English (US) ·