AN eight-bout Rum Bar-sponsored amateur thriller between Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, capped by a pro-card, will take place on Saturday at Barbican Beach, starting at 7:00 pm.

This was announced at a press conference yesterday at the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) office, Phoenix Avenue.

One female bout — when Felice Groves is to exchange blows with Cayman’s Jessica Richards in the light featherweight division — will appear on the card.

In the feature amateur fight, Jonathan Hanson will duel with Dariel Ebanks of Cayman in the open class light heavyweight in a three-round encounter.

With three minutes a round, Hanson — who describes himself as a boxer, not a fighter — says he will go about his task “surgically” against the much bigger and brawling Ebanks.

The pro-card will feature Devon Moncrieffe battling Lloyd Smith in a match-up which the Jamaica Boxing Board of Control (JBBC) hopes will leave spectators begging for more.

Local boxing president Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones, noting he was unaware of such a contest with this many boxers with another country ever held here, said Cayman was “a well-travelled team” and “it [benefits] us to have them come to Jamaica and give national exposure to our boxers”.

Jones stressed the importance of the country’s boxers not to rush to the next level, suggesting that they remain amateurs until it is determined they are ready to move up.

Jamaica’s eight boxers who will be on show are between the ages of 13 and 24 from gyms across the island, including Bruising Gym, Boys’ Town, G4s, Olympic/Sugar Gym, and the Stanley Couch Gym — which is the national gym.

Naming the Jamaicans first, Shavon Lindo, 13, will take on Diego Rodriguez in the flyweight; Andre Grey, 16, goes up against Raymond Rodriguez in bantamweight; Shane Lindsay, 17, meets Tafari Ebanks in super bantamweight; Toriano Nicholas, 22, will hope to make an example of Kendal Ebanks in the lightweight.

Twenty-two-year-old Catoney Robinson will challenge Thomas McField-Brown in the middleweight; and Richard Walker, 23, will face Gina Brown in super heavyweight.

The boxing board will highlight the bouts of Hanson, 22, and Groves, 24, and they are likely to be the third from last and the penultimate fights before the pro-card between Moncrieffe and Smith.

Boxing board general secretary Leroy Brown — pointing out how expensive airfares have been, from $150,000 to $250,000 per boxer — indicated that consideration was being given to field three boxers for the Olympics.

In addition to Hanson and Walker, the third was Canadian-based Aljer Burnett.

Marketing and sales manager for Rum Bar, Paul Hamilton also spoke at the press conference. He stated his company’s readiness to support boxing in a big way in Jamaica.