Holmes evokes 'no mas' from Simister

Friday, February 17, 2012

YOUNG Dwayne Holmes of the Green Team devastated the experienced Courtney Simister of the Yellow Team by a first-round TKO in the opening bout of the Wray & Nephew Contender Boxing Series at the Chinese Benevolent Association on Wednesday night to move into the second round.

After a slow start, Holmes took control and dominated the fight, flooring his adversary three times in the first round and forcing Simister not to take to the ring for the second.

Holmes, who came into the fight five pounds heavier at 146 pounds, said although he was taken aback by Simister's fiery start, he was always confident of victory.

"They told me he's an old school boxer, but I knew I would beat him because there is a saying that a boxer cannot beat a warrior.

"... I wanted to show everyone that I'm a warrior and that I can box, and I just proved it to the whole Jamaica," he said.

However, he admitted he did not expect the fight to end so early.

"My teammate Michael Gardener said I should try and finish the fight by the fourth round, but I said I need the fight to go into the fifth round.

"But he said, 'don't keep that on your mind; when you get the chance you take it', so I saw the opening and took it and pressured him to the end," he said.

"The first two jabs caught me by surprise because I wanted to go and feel him out.., but he caught me with speed... so I took the fight under my control and fought my fight," he added.

Simister said although he was not at his best, he thought the match referee did not do enough to control the fight.

"It's been six years since I've touched the ring... he's six pounds heavier than me; he was fouling me in my neck-back and the ref still did not see that on my side.

"So he hurt me... and it was a technical foul and the ref saw it and still did nothing... Why would you get hurt and want to continue? So I just called it a day," he argued.

Simister started the bout impressively, rattling his opponent with some quick jabs while evading Holmes' attacks in the process.

However, the veteran boxer appeared to have run out of stamina early in the bout and after Holmes got in his first blow, which rattled his opponent, the momentum swung decisively to the Green Team fighter as Simister resorted to clinching and holding the Briusing Gym boxer.

Holmes then went into attack mode and backed his opponent into the ropes before knocking him down a minute and three seconds into the match.

Simister was, however, quickly back on his feet, but was back on the canvas 34 seconds later as another onslaught sent him crashing from a left hook.

From here on it was only a matter of time as Holmes chased and battered his opponent for the remainder of the round.

Although he knocked Simister down again, the Yellow Team boxer was on this occasion saved by the bell.

After a lenghty consultation with his corner, Simister decided not to come out for the second round and Holmes was awarded the fight.

Green Team and Bruising Gym coach Carl Grant, who will be going off on a three-week training stint in Wales this weekend with two of his boxers, said because he wanted to be in Holmes' corner for his first professional fight, they made sure the Green Team won the challenge so he could be here for this fight.

"He (Simister) caught him with an early hook and his nose was bleeding, but my boxer weathered the storm and got his game together and did what he had to do," said Grant.