Holmes wants ‘bad boy’ Salas in Wray & Nephew Contender final
Richard “Frog” Holmes, who was rated the number one fighter coming into the 2018 Wray & Nephew Contender welterweight boxing series, says he loves to cool down bad boys and, in that regard, would love to face Ricardo “Magic Man” Salas in the competition’s final.
Holmes qualified for the final of the Team Jamaica vs Team Canada showdown by scoring a split decision win over Dave Leblond in the first semi-final last Wednesday night at Chinese Benevolent Association in Kingston.
Salas will face in-form Jamaican Devon “Concrete” Moncriffe in the second semi-final tomorrow at the same venue.
“I’m not going to say I prefer Moncriffe or Salas, but they say Salas is the bad boy and I like to fight bad boys so I’d pick Salas,” said Holmes, who is looking to win his first Wray & Nephew Contender title.
Before getting a look at Salas in this series, Holmes had already penned Michael “Wasp” Gardener as his final opponent.
“The rival I was looking to fight is not here,” he said of Gardener, who was expelled for failure to make the weight for a quarter-final matchup against Leblond.
“But I’m here again and I’m going to be winning,” added the man who has experienced losing in a Wray & Nephew Contender final.
The 31-year-old has a record of 18 wins and eight losses, and will be looking to stretch his successes by exploiting his opponent’s shortcomings in the final, which is scheduled for Wednesday, July 25 at National Indoor Sports Centre.
“Every boxer has a weakness, every boxer looks out for another boxer’s weakness. Any one of them I face I’m going to show that up,” said Holmes.
In contrast, he exhibited one of his strengths in the semi-final when landing a series of uppercuts on Leblond.
“The uppercut is my baby. This uppercut is thrown when I need to throw it and you’re going to be seeing a lot more of it,” the Jamaican warned. “I’m coming to fight and if the fights are to go seven rounds, I’m going seven rounds, and if someone is to be stopped I shall be stopping them.
“I’m going to go back in training and prepare for whosoever.”
The winner of the 2018 Wray & Nephew Contender will, in addition to the title and belt, take home a purse of $2 million. The runner-up will earn $500,000; third, $250,000; and fourth, $200,000.
