Ricardo “The Magician” Salas produced an odd job delivery upon Devon “Concrete” Moncriffe the other night at the Chinese Benevolent Association to set up a grand finale with Richard “Frog” Holmes for the Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum Contender Boxing Series welterweight title set for the Indoor Centre in Kingston in another week or so.

The execution was a 2:25-minute, first-round knockout that propelled his budding ring record to 10 fights, nine wins with seven knockouts and one loss. Moncriffe, from his 25 bouts, has 14 wins, six by knockouts and was suffering his 10th defeat.

It is a night that Moncriffe will never forget — one of bombardment from the opening bell until the end came with the round still to be completed.

Failing to make an impact with timid shots, Moncriffe at turn to defend faced a flurry and was gutted by two stunning knockdowns, the second of which sent him careening across the ring.

With little or no legs to hold a steady course, he continued bolting head first and was only stopped in his tracks from catapulting head long outside the ring by the ring ropes.

The medical team ran to his assistance, but he quickly regained his composure.

Using his steamrolling approach, Moncriffe started out with a flush right to the face of Salas, but that served only to incense the dapper Canadian who looked in unbeatable condition.

Salas then moved in for the kill and two knockdowns followed, one less than when the Canadian got the better of Moncriffe in Canada.

“Moncriffe came out a bit too aggressive…. and it was a similar fight to the one in Toronto, and once I realised that, I knew what I had to do as I had done it already before,” said Salas through intrepreter Daniel Chacko Wilmot.

Moncriffe admitted his fight strategy was “all wrong”.

— Hurbun Williams