‘Big 12’ Brown back in action on March 2

Ricardo ‘Big 12’ Brown, who has set his sights on a world top-10 ranking in the heavyweight division soon, is scheduled to have his first fight this year on March 2, at the Toronto Casino Resort in Canada, against Rafael Sanchez from Mexico. The fight card will be promoted by United Boxing Promotions.

Brown, who was named the top Jamaican boxer in 2023, and came to Jamaica from his base in Canada for the RJRGLEANER Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards ceremony and presentation, told The Gleaner that he was very happy with his performances and his growth in 2023, and hopes to do even better this year. He now has a 10-0 record, all by way of knockout and technical knockout. In 2023, he won all of his five fights. They were against Cruz Duran Sarmiento in January, Jesus Angel Nerio in April, Miguel Angel Flores Gomez in June, Pavel Sour in September and Jozsef Darmos in December.

Assessing his growth, the 33-year-old Brown, who is just over six feet seven inches inches tall and tips the scale at more than 250 pounds, said that he was getting better with every figh and, under the guidance of his chief trainer Dewith Frazer, is confident that he will continue to improve.

“I am learning every day, and I am making an effort to fight smarter every time that I enter the ring. When I add better technique to my punching power, I know that I will continue to win, and hopefully I will break into the top-10 rankings this year, which is how you get title fights,” Brown said.

He says that he is looking forward to his fight against Sanchez, who has also had 10 fights, winning eight of them, four by knockout. Brown said that he is happy to be able to get back into the ring early in the year, and hopes to have at least four fights in 2024.

“The more fights that I have, the better it will be for me, as I really want to keep improving and show that I have what it takes to be a champion,” he said.

Frazer, his trainer, told The Gleaner that he is very optimistic about his boxer’s chances of making it to the top because of his work ethic.

“He works hard, he listens to what you tell him, and as long as we can get good sparring partners for him, the sky is the limit,” Frazer said.