Richard “Frog” Holmes let slip through his gloves a third Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum Contender boxing series title when he was beaten, by unanimous decision, by Ricardo “Magic Man” Salas in the 2018 final for the welterweight title and $2 million, on a bumper five-fight Pro-Am card inside National Indoor Sports Centre on Wednesday night.

Billed as the premier match on the night’s five-fight card event, with three professional fights and two amateur, three-minute three-rounders, the Holmes-Salas encounter brought the house down. It was probably one of the finest and most competitive finals ever staged in the eight-year history of the tournament, as lively and entertaining action was produced by both fighters from the opening bell to the closing gong, with two knock-downs against Holmes in the second and ninth rounds.

And the judges had no other recourse than to arrive at a unanimous verdict in favour of Salas after 10 rounds, with both Jamaican judges, Clifford Brown and Laurence Neufville scoring the fight 97-93 and Canadian judge David Dunbar, 96-94.

The welterweight title fight was one of the two pro fights on the programme, with two junior middleweight fights over six rounds between winner Sakima Mullings and Alejandro Herrera of Mexico, and Jamaica’s Ricardo Planter and winner Nico Yeyo.

The two amateur fights were contested over six rounds between super heavyweights, winner Ricardo Brown and Frank McKenzie, while the other was a junior welterweight clash between winner Daniel Hylton of Stanley Couch Gym and Samuel Grant from Sugar Olympic Gym, over three rounds.

Despite the loss, Holmes was pleased with his performance even after hurting his right hand in the opening round which made him less effective. But haboured no excuse in his post-fight interview.

“This was a championship fight and you got a championship fight,” Holmes said. “The only thing is that it did not turn out victorious for me as I had planned. But it was a good fight. I gave of my best and that was not good enough on the night, but there is still hope for better next time,” he added.

It was by far the very best performance coming from Holmes in his three finals to date — having lost to Jamaican Kemahl Russell for the middleweight title in 2015 and American DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley the following year for the welterweight crown.

It was easily the finest, most evenly contested and exciting display of boxing between two pugilists, with targeted shots from both finding their mark repeatedly in a Contender series final.

The final decision could not be any more decisive, neither could it tell the true story of the quality of the boxing put on display by the two in the art of fisticuffs at this level.

Holmes did surprise all and sundry with his industry and newly released upper cut that bobbed the head of Salas a few times, but something looked amiss from its connection. It was later discovered his tentativeness was as a result of hurting his right hand in the opening round.

And he might not have won, but a number of patrons left the National Indoor Sports Centre with much respect for the night’s performance from the local idol. Some boxing fans were saying “we knew he had it in him. But it was the best we ever saw him in that frame of mind”, winning many plaudits from his doubting Thomases.

A sense of satisfaction and pleasure played on the face of Salas after victory over Holmes, in a fight that could have gone either way were it not for the knock-downs.

Through his interpreter Daniel “Chacko” Wilmot, Salas said: “This fight called for 10 rounds; he was well-prepared for the fight as he had expected far more opposition from Holmes than he got from the rest of the fighters he had earlier beaten. He also added that he felt well pleased with the victory, as he had worked hard for it.”

During the fight Holmes complained of hurting his right hand in the first round which could have been, it seemed, from a stinging shot that connected on the upper body of Salas.

From then on though it was noticeable that the Team Jamaica hopeful looked tentative when using his right hand in any forceful way against the upper body of his opponent, and appeared to use it more effectively against the lower body.

This apparent anomaly seemed to give Salas a certain leeway early in the fight, and by the second round he dropped Holmes for a mandatory eight count.

Meanwhile in the two other pro fights on the card, Sakima “Mr Smooth” Mullings, the most successful Contender fighter with two titles, retired his Mexican opponent, Alejandro Herrera, after two rounds.

The second pro fight of the evening, featuring the veteran Ricardo Planner and the up-and-coming Nico Yeyo, went to Yeyo by a unanimous decision.