5 months ago
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JAMAICA BOXING Association (JaBA) president Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones has hailed the Wray and Nephew Fight Nights series as an essential platform for the development of Jamaica’s amateur and professional boxers.
Jones was speaking yesterday at the launch of this year’s first Fight Night at Usain Bolt’s Track and Records in Kingston.
The first night of the series will be held on June 28 with a 10-bout fight card, including eight amateur face-offs and two professional matches.
The president said the boxing competition represents an important platform for the association and its boxers to develop and display their skills in the ring.
“It is a big part of our pipeline and if we’re really going to get boxing to the next level, which is the Olympics and the professionals, then we have to have a strong foundation at all levels,” he explained.
“We have to have a platform where the best of the best get to showcase their skills and the sport is growing so we need to get the best of those an outlet, and that is what the Fight Nights represent.”
Jones said it is also important for the nation’s boxers to be given consistent opportunities to grow in the sport.
He believes this will strengthen the association’s chances of producing world-class boxers on a regular basis.
“We have to give the fighters the necessary amount of activities so that they can build a record and get the same opportunities so we’re not just building a world champion once every 10 years, but we get to have them year after year.”
Jones also took the time to thank Fight Nights’ title sponsors, Wray and Nephew, for their continued support for the competition.
He said their contribution has played a major role in the success of Fight Nights and hopes the partnership with the JaBA can last for years to come.
“Partnerships like these only work if it is a win-win and Wray and Nephew sets the bar,” Jones said.
“We want to make sure that it is not just a one-way street. It is not just them contributing to the sport and then we’re not giving them the benefits they deserve.
“Wray and Nephew has always been easy to speak with. They have always believed in the vision and the good thing about them is that they came on board earlier in the vision and they didn’t wait until we get to the top.”
Kerry-Ann Bryan, Wray and Nephew’s brand manager, was also in attendance at the launch.
Bryan said her organisation’s partnership with the JaBA, and their contribution to the sport of boxing, is an important part of its continued belief in developing Jamaica through its sports.
“We are proud to be back, bolder, better and more committed than ever to Jamaican boxing and the true spirit of competition,” she said.
“This series is more than just a sporting event, but a platform for development, pride and purpose. For over 10 years, Wray and Nephew has made consistent investments in boxing. We see this not just as a sponsorship but as a part of our role in nation building through sport.”
English (US) ·