Let’s get ready to rumble! - New boxing series set to hit TV screens later this year
Published:Thursday | February 4, 2021 | 12:20 AMJonielle Daley/Staff Reporter
Two years after Jamaica’s last made-for-TV boxing feature, The Contender, went down for the count, the Ministry of Sports and the Jamaica Boxing Board of Control (JBBC) have partnered with overseas producers to bring to the ring a boxing television series that will be filmed in Jamaica.
JBBC President Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones told The Gleaner that they have been working closely with a group of Los Angeles-based producers to offset the cost of the production and underlined the expected benefits for the country and the sport’s local stakeholders.
While the JBBC continues to work along with officials from the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Health for the necessary approvals, given the COVID- 19 situation, Jones said that they had already been made aware of how this “high-level” boxing show would be promoted and what it would look like.
“What we are looking for is to have Jamaica be a hub for boxing shows,” Jones explained. He also pointed to ongoing discussions with the World Boxing Council (WBC) to make Jamaica its boxing hub of the Caribbean region.
Though the show will be operating without the usual spectators, they will be conducting interviews before each match, in line with the usual format, to engage the audience locally and also on the international front.
AIMS TO PROPEL GROWTH
In addition to featuring Jamacia’s boxing talent and location, the series will aim to underline and propel the growth of the sport as a professional option in the country.
Jones highlighted the need to advance the local professional landscape around the sport and create opportunities for its stakeholders as core objectives.
“(We intend) to increase the pool of promoters that will come to Jamaica with their boxers, knowing that they will receive a full package,” said Jones.
With the necessary measures in place and approval granted, the first episode is expected to premiere at the end of April.
While she expressed much excitement with the opportunities from the partnership, Sports Minister Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange was quick to say that each person interested in participating in any sport needed to meet the COVID-19 requirements that would be determined by way of application.