KINGSTON, Jamaica – The proceeds from the “Rumble in the Sun” boxing match between Jamaican-born Donovan “Razor” Ruddock and James ”Lights Out” Toney on November 11 will go towards aiding schools in the Red Ground community in rural St Catherine.

Red Ground Productions Chief Executive Officer, Kleopatra Ruddock, the daughter of the former two-time Canadian heavyweight champion, said she is expecting a huge turnout of boxing fans when both men enter the ring at the National Indoor Sports Centre.

Following her presentation of training gloves used by her father to Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett at the launch of his latest book recently at the University of Technology, Ruddock underlined that her father desperately wanted to improve the schools in the community of his birth in Red Ground, St Catherine.

She added that he believed that education offered the best avenue out of poverty and would present boys especially, with options in place of crime. Razor Ruddock was also initiating boxing training for the youths.

“We call our initiative “gloves over guns” and we are confident that the venture can help in turning lives around merely by presenting them with better choices,” she noted.

“We are excited that we are able to host this event in Jamaica. My dad has always been passionate about supporting the development of boxing talent in Jamaica and some of these upcoming hopefuls will be featured in the undercard fight Saturday night,” she added.

Minister Bartlett expressed joy at the event being hosted by the Ruddocks through Red Ground Promotions and the Red Ground Foundation, noting that sports tourism was an area of focus of his ministry that offered much potential as surveys showed “that a major driver of tourism was people following their passions”.

Kleopatra said she is confident the fight could be a catalyst for other boxing promoters to see Jamaica as a prime location for major boxing events.

“We have not seen a fight of this magnitude in Jamaica in over 50 years, since George Foreman defeated Joe Frazer to claim the heavyweight title, so we want to give the fans a memorable bout as well as support local boxing by showcasing the home-grown talent on the undercard fights,” she said.

Possessing a fearsome left hook, known as “The Smash” Razor Ruddock is respected for inflicting knockouts on some 30 opponents during his 40 wins out of 47 professional fights during a career marked by some of boxing’s most memorable fights including two epic battles with Mike Tyson during his prime.