Russell to fight on July 26 Contender card

Wray and Nephew Contender 2015 Middleweight champion Kemahl 'The Hitman' Russell will be in action against Nigel Edwards from Trinidad and Tobago, in an 8-round bout on the Contender 2017 final night card, scheduled for the Mico University College campus on Wednesday, July 26.

The main attraction will be the 2017 Contender finals, between Jamaica's Sakima Mullings and Canada's Phil Rose over 10 rounds.

Russell, who has a 10-1 record, defeated Richard Holmes by seventh round technical knockout in 2015, to become the champion that year, and he will be fighting in Jamaica for the first time in 12 months. On July 2, 2016, he defeated Denny Dalton by technical knockout (TKO) in three rounds, but since then, he has been training and competing overseas. In October, he stopped Henry Mercer in two rounds in Georgia, USA, and then lost by TKO to world rated Sergiv Derevyanchenko, in Mississippi, USA.

Eye-opening

That loss, he said, served as an eye opener.

"Sergiv is a good boxer/fighter, and I thought that I could exchange with him. He had too much power for me, however, and I suffered my first defeat. I learnt several lessons from that fight, however, and will use them well going forward," Russell said.

He is a Wray and Nephew brand ambassador and said the he is thrilled to be back in Jamaica and fighting on the Contender final night card.

He will be going up against a wily veteran who has a 9-1-1 record and had a fight for a Caribbean title last January. Edwards fought Sheldon Lawrence for the FECARBOX light-heavyweight title in Trinidad and Tobago then, losing by TKO in round eight. He is regarded as a boxer/fighter, and has five knockouts in his nine victories. Russell also has a good knockout percentage, as he has recorded knockouts and tko's in eight of his 10 victories.

This could be a recipe for an exciting fight, especially as Russell said last week, that he plans to give his fans a lot to cheer about next Wednesday.