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SportGlobe
December 5-11, 2012
KEVIN DUFFUS
SportGlobe Writer
W
ray and Nephew 2012
‘
Contender Series
’ champion,
Donovan ‘Police’ Campbell,
rejected a “disrespectful” $130,000 and
nine-day notice from organisers to be on
the undercard of the ‘Rumble on
Jamrock’ world championship fight set
for Saturday, December 8, at the
National Indoor Sports Centre.
Campbell received the call on
Thursday, November 28, to challenge
Rikardo ‘The Surgeon’ Smith in a welter-
weight match
after Puerto Rico’s
Orlando Falcon pulled out of the bout
due to injury.
This would have been the third meet-
ing between the two in less than two
years, Smith having won on both occa-
sions.
‘Police’ told
SportGlobe
he immedi-
ately rejected the offer when contacted.
STOPPED TRAINING
“It’s disrespectful. I was training
months ago and when the card was
announced, I’m not on it, so I stopped
training,” Campbell said, pointing out
that he was not initially considered but
was being sought as a “replacement
opponent”.
So desperate were the organisers that
a day after being rejected by ‘Police’
Campbell, they scurried to get the signa-
ture of Ramel ‘Sub Zero’ Lewis, who he
had beaten to win the 2012 ‘
Contende
r
Series
’.
SportGlobe
was reliably informed
that Lewis verbally agreed to the
$130,000 offer.
However, that decision was mulled at
the weekend and was thrown out the
window by the organisers for want of
a better drawcard, leading to a 100
per cent increased offer of $260,000
to Sakima Mullings, whose handlers
pressed for more money, eventually
settling at US$4,000.
Smith had beaten Mullings to win
the second semi-final of the 2011
‘
Contender Series
’ before going
on to stop Devon ‘Concrete’
Moncriffe in the final.
Campbell has not been in the
ring since winning the
‘
Contender
’ title in June of
this year. He expressed disap-
pointment with the sport’s
local governing body for not
making a more reasonable offer
than the meagre $130,000, con-
sidering the nine-day notice.
“I tell them that I’m not in the
frame of mind to fight, ’cause me
stop train when I hear that I’m
not on the card,” he said, point-
ing to the organisers’ desperation
as he was contacted twice in 10
minutes by two representatives.
‘Po l i ce ’ Campbe l l i s
Jama i ca ’ s mos t exper i -
enced active professional
we l terwe i ght (147 l b)
boxer, having nearly 20
pro fights, on and off, over
a 21-year period.
He was favourite to win this year’s
welterweight Contender title, which he
did in impressive style, beating ‘Sub
Zero’ Lewis over 10 rounds.
In addition to preparing for 2013,
Campbell hopes next year will be more
active and productive, not only for him-
self, but fellow Jamaican boxers.
NEXT YEAR
“I’m now just focusing on next year.
I’m not afraid of Rikardo. I would fight
him again, but only if they did tell me
this six weeks ago. Right now, a next year
mi a focus on.”
Saturday’s World Boxing Association
(WBA) world featherweight title fight
will be between Jamaica’s Nicholas
‘The Axe Man’ Walters and Daulis
Prescott of Colombia.
Campbell had his views on what the
title bout will do for boxing in Jamaica.
“If, and when, ‘The Axe Man’ wins, it
will improve boxing in Jamaica.
Everybody will know ‘The Axe Man’ is a
world champion from Jamaica, and other
promoters can now promote fights here
so others can see Jamaican fighters in
action,” he said.
Campbell added that he hopes the cur-
rent administration will improve its
mode of operation and make room for
greater development of the sport, both at
the amateur and professional level.
Email: sportglobe2005@yahoo.com
NINE
DAYS,
$130,000?
‘It’s disrespectful. I was
training months ago and
when the card was
announced, I’m not on it,
so I stopped training.’
Sakima Mullings signed for
US$4,000.