Canadian Phil Rose earned himself a place in the 2017 Wray and Nephew Contender finals on July 26, when he defeated Jamaican hope Richard Holmes by split decision at The Mico University College campus on Wednesday night.

Although the seven-round fight was close and hard-fought, there was no doubt that Rose was the better man, and thoroughly deserved his victory. Judges Keith Brown 68-65 and David Dunbar 67-66 voted for Rose, while Lindell Allen had it 68-65 for Holmes.

Rose, who is the No. 1 ranked Canadian in the competition, will meet the No. 1 ranked Jamaican, Sakima Mullings in what is expected to be an action-packed final.

The Canadian had declared from the start of the competition that he planned to go all the way, and his performance on Wednesday showed that he is capable of keeping his word.

After Wednesday’s fight, he said: “I prepared for 10 rounds, so I had no problems going seven, and I like how I felt in the ring. I can only get better and stronger for the finals.”

He paid tribute to the fighting spirit shown by Holmes and said that he was really tested. “Holmes is good, and fought hard, but I was the better man on the night.”

Holmes echoed those sentiments. “I was well prepared and my plan was to try for the knockout. He hits hard, however, and hurt me in round two. I got past that round and nearly knocked him out in the fourth round, but it did not happen. He deserves a lot of credit. He is strong, hits hard, and will not be easy to beat in the final.”

Holmes, who suffered a cut over his left eye in the second round from an accidental clash of heads, said that he was distracted by the cut but he had no excuses, as his opponent earned the victory with his power punching.

“He is one of the strongest fighters and hardest punchers I have ever met,” the Jamaican volunteered.

He had a great start and won the first round, but Rose was on the hunt in the second round, which was one of his best.

Holmes had a great fourth round and at one stage had Rose holding on, but he was not able to keep the momentum going, as Rose was too strong for him at close range.

“I had to go outside and move a lot as he was out-punching me inside” said the Jamaican.

Although he kept moving, however, he did not help himself by either clinching at the wrong time, or not throwing the jabs that he needed to score points.

His consolation at the end was that he once more finished in the top four of the competition. He was a finalist last year, but lost to Demarcus Corley.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20170714/rose-too-hot-holmes

“It was great to score my 50th victory in Jamaica, my second home,” said Demarcus ‘Chop Chop’ Corley on Wednesday night, when he scored an easy unanimous decision in eight rounds, over Jamaica’s Ramel Lewis at the Mico University College campus, on the Wray and Nephew Contender fight card.

Judges Laurence Neufville and Ransford Burton scored it 79-73 each, while judge David Dunbar had it 78-74 for Corley.

Corey, who is from the USA, is 43 years old, and boasts a 50-28-1 record. He was the Wray and Nephew Welterweight Contender champion last year.

Lewis, who went into the fight with a 7-6 record, won the first round, but Corley used his skill and ring-craft to win most of the other rounds.

Lewis was in attack mode when the fight started, and scored freely to the head and body. Corley took some good body shots in that round, and obviously made up his mind that he was not going to mix it up with his younger opponent after that. He kept his distance, switched from orthodox to southpaw stance from time to time and piled up points round after round.

– L.B.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20170714/50th-win-corley

Canadian defeats Holmes to book Contender final spot against Mullings

Sakima “Mister Smooth” Mullings and the Canadian “Assassin” Phil Rose will contest the 2017 Wray and Nephew White Overproof Rum Contender Boxing final for the title of Jamaica’s Ultimate Junior Middleweight Contender on July 26.

This follows Richard “Frog” Holmes’s seven-round split decision loss to Rose in the second semi-final of the Contender Series fights at the Mico University grounds on Wednesday night.

The ultimate fighter will receive $2,000,000, the runner-up $500,000, third place $250,000 and fourth $200,000.

The narrow loss was a hard pill for Holmes to swallow, but after receiving a cut on the left eyebrow he never really looked the part of a likely winner against a lively looking and attacking Rose.

Holmes lost on two of the three judges’ cards with David Dunbar and Keith Brown scoring the bout 67-66 and 68-65, respectively, while judge Lindell Allen saw it 67-66 for Holmes.

“I probably was timid and not at my best after receiving the cut but I am pleased with my performance. However, let us not take anything away from Rose he fought a good fight and won,” Holmes said.

Rose, who is a reputed slow starter in his fights, came to the ring a different man and attributed this to his “diligent training and sticking” to a game plan.

“The plan was to get to him (Holmes) from the opening bell and stay close to him for every inch of the way. I thought an over head right which drew blood knocked the mickey out of the ‘Frog’,” said Rose.

“After this I never allowed him to relax and I kept the pressure on him and that went a long way in contributing to this win,” the Canadian added.

In the eight-round Welterweight under-card bout, DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley gave Ramel Lewis a boxing lesson to remember. The unanimous points decision from all judges Laurence Neufville, David Dunbar and Ransford Burton scoring in his favour with scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 79-37, respectively.

In the curtain-raiser amateur three-rounder bout, Patrick Sahadeo of the Jamaica Defence Force had a decision win over Collel Hogg of the Stanley Couch Gym in an Open Class Lightweight skit.

Mullings booked his semi-final spot a week ago with victory over fellow Jamaican Tsetsi Davis.

Before the final showdown, the Wray and Nephew Contender Series will take a one-week break to give finalists Mullings and Rose time to fully prepare for their match-up at the Mico University grounds.

The Contender final will be the main event of the regular three-fight card with the former and 2015 champion Kemahl Russell going up against Nigel Nelson of Trinidad and Tobago over eight rounds.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/rose-in-full-bloom-canadian-defeats-holmes-to-book-contender-final-spot-against-mullings_104804?profile=1511

GRACEKENNEDY is inviting nominations for the fourth annual GraceKennedy Heather Little-White Household Worker Awards 2017.

Male and female household workers such as gardeners, handymen, caregivers nannies and cooks are eligible for nomination by their employers.

This year, the top Male and Female Household Workers will win $300,000 each and the runners-up will win $200,000 each, trophies and other prizes.

Employers are invited to nominate their household workers, by telling, in no more than 200 words, why he or she is an excellent candidate for this unique award. Nominations opened on July 1 and will close on August 1. The preferred method of submission is via the online portal at http://www.gracekennedy.com/householdworker or emailed to gracekennedy@gkco.com. Submissions can also be sent to the company’s corporate offices at 73 Harbour Street, Kingston.

“We were inspired last year by the impressive nominations we received and are happy to host this competition in recognition of the important services that men and women who are household workers provide,” said Don Wehby, Group CEO, GraceKennedy Limited.

Judges will choose eight finalists (four men and four women), with the top four winners chosen from that group.

President of the Jamaica Household Workers Union (JHWU) Shirley Pryce will once again be among the panel of judges this year.

Pryce, who was honoured by GraceKennedy at the competition last year, was recently awarded the Caricom ‘Woman Of The Year Award’ for her outstanding contribution to “trade unionism and women and development in the Caribbean Community (Caricom). She was presented with the 12th Caricom Triennial Award for Women on July 4 in a ceremony at the 38th Caricom Heads of Government Conference in Grenada.

“Shirley is a Jamaican icon whose career has evolved over the years. As she has grown professionally, she has turned her knowledge, skill and influence toward empowerment of household workers in Jamaica and around the world,” Wehby said.

In last year’s competition, Michael Lawson copped the top prize while Denham Coke was his runner-up, in the male category. In the female category, Millicent Clunis was awarded top prize and second place went to Elizabeth Watson Warren.

The GraceKennedy/Heather Little-White Household Worker Award was inaugurated in 2014 in honour of the noted nutritionist, educator and healthy lifestyle advocate who passed away in 2013.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/-300-000-for-top-male-female-household-workers_104798?profile=1373

Rainforest Seafoods, the Caribbean’s largest seafood supplier, handed over $2 million to Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica towards the charity’s fundraising efforts aimed at constructing houses for destitute Jamaicans.

Rainforest had given its support to FFP’s 5K Run/Walk, held on May 13, 2017 to raise funds for the housing project. The company launched a campaign in April by contributing $50 from select Rainforest products sold, all of which were donated to the 5K’s worthy cause.

Brian Jardim, Rainforest Seafoods’ chief executive officer, said his organisation was pleased with the efforts of FFP Jamaica, as the charity organisation has been one of Jamaica’s premier change agents for more than 30 years.

“Food For The Poor has made a difference in the lives of thousands of Jamaicans since its inception in 1983. The charity has constructed more than 42,000 houses for destitute families. They have developed a wonderful model, and it is one we fully support and are pleased to commit another $2 million,” Jardim said.

“Rainforest Seafoods first partnered with Food For The Poor Jamaica in 2015 for the inaugural 5K Run/Walk and, having seen the joy of recipients and the efficiency of FFP in delivering the houses, Rainforest Seafoods has been inspired to donate more and share in the mission,” he added.

A winning partnership

Rainforest Seafoods and FFP Jamaica have jointly constructed more than 20 houses.

Andrew Mahfood, chairman, FFP Jamaica who accepted the donation from Rainforest Seafoods, stated that the charity was extremely grateful for the support.

“We at Food For The Poor Jamaica are pleased with the continuous support in cash and kind received from Rainforest over the years. We are extremely grateful for their support, and we are looking forward to constructing houses for persons in need through the funds received,” Mahfood said.

FAMILIES BENEFITING

He noted that 40 families across the island already stand to benefit with two-bedroom houses from funds raised through the event.

In addition to Rainforest Seafoods’ donation, other houses were donated by National Bakery, Jamaica Public Service Company Limited, National Commercial Bank, ReMax, Black Ink Marketing Event Solutions Limited, CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank, Red Stripe, Running Events, Yohan Blake, Rotary Club, Rotetch, Supreme Ventures, Zoukie, Hi-Pro, and others.

Winners of FFP Jamaica’s 5K social media promotion were also presented with awards at the event. Lisa Osbourne won the first-place prize of a weekend at Jewels Paradise Cove; Alexia Williams won the second-place prize of a $30,000 shopping spree at General Foods; and Jasian Douglas won the third prize of a Rainforest cooler filled with seafood products.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20170714/rainforest-seafoods-gives-big-boost-food-poor

Darcia Palache and her five boys now have a permanent roof over their heads, thanks to the assistance from Food For the Poor Jamaica (FFP) and the NCB Foundation (NCBF). The dwelling is one of 100 that FFP aims to construct from proceeds of its 2017 5K event, and the first of four donated by NCBF.

Located in Denbigh, Clarendon, the family of six recently received a brand new, fully furnished two-bedroom house outfitted with a solar system, water tank, indoor kitchen and a bathroom with proper sewer system. Prior to this, she was allowed to sleep at a neighbour’s house at nights, but had no access to the premises when the owner is not home.

Palache, along with her children, moved into their home in June 29.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20170713/corporate-hands-food-poor-and-ncb-foundation-donate-house-family-six

Jamaica’s Richard ‘Frog’ Holmes, 29, with a 15-6 record, and 35-year-old Phil Rose from Canada, who has a 8-4-1 record, will enter the ring at The Mico University College complex at approximately 9.30 tonight, to decide whether the Wray & Nephew Contender junior middleweight 2017 final on July 26 will be an all-Jamaica or a Canada versus Jamaica affair.

In what is expected to be an action-packed affair, they will clash over seven rounds in the second semi-final of the competition. In last week’s semi-final, Sakima Mullings booked his spot in the final with a hard-fought split decision victory over Tsetsi Davis.

Before the main bout, there will be an entertaining fight over eight rounds between crowd favourite, American Demarcus ‘Chop Chop’ Corley and Jamaica’s hard-hitting Ramel Lewis, in a junior welterweight contest.

Holmes reached the semis with victories over Canadians Mike Breton and Francesco Cotroni, while Rose had to get past Jamaican Ricardo Planter and fellow Canadian David Leblond. They were impressive in their victories and were both oozing confidence yesterday. Holmes told The Gleaner that he is in much better condition than when he fought Cotroni.

BETTER PREPARED

“My training has gone well, physically I am better prepared and even if the fight goes to seven rounds, I will not have a problem.”

Asked if he had a specific plan for Rose, he said: “We have looked at tapes of his fights and we have a good idea of what he will do. We do not have one plan. We are expecting a good, hard fight and will decide what to do from round to round. We are ready.”

Rose was also supremely confident. He has had over a month to prepare for this fight, and said yesterday that he had used his time wisely.

“I worked hard, did a lot of ring work with good sparring partners and I am ready.” From the start of the competition he stated that he was confident that he would go all the way, and still feels the same way.

“We are going home with the title,” is the word from his camp, and they see tonight’s fight as just one more step in that direction. Both sides have predicted a hard fight, but are confident of victory.

The bout between Corley and Lewis is full of possibilities. The American is a master strategist and is very clever inside the ring. He is very experienced, and at age 43 has a record of 49 wins, 28 losses and one draw. Lewis, who is 29, has a 7-6 record. This will be a fight in which experience and ring guile will go up against raw power. If Lewis can catch Corley he will take him out, but Corley is as smart as they come, and will be very elusive. This will be an intriguing encounter.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20170712/jamaica-canada-clash-second-contender-semi-final

Phil Rose

Richard Holmes