Veterans Ruddock, Toney set for ‘Rumble in the Sun’
Published:Friday | October 20, 2023 | 12:10 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Former two-time Canadian boxing champion Donovan ‘Razor’ Ruddock is elated at the opportunity to fight in his home country, Jamaica, for the first time.
Ruddock, who had a heavyweight career which spanned some 20 years, has never fought in the land of his birth but will be going up against many-time champion in various classes, 55 year-old American James ‘Lights Out ‘ Toney, in a veteran series dubbed ‘Rumble in the Sun’.
The event will take place at the National Indoor Sports Centre on November 11, and will also include four other fights with Jamaicans going up against international fighters.
The event, which will be aired on pay-per-view, is being held in collaboration with Triller Sports, the Jamaica Boxing Association (JBA) and the Ministry of Sports’ ‘Gloves over Guns’ initiative, with proceeds to go in aid of Ruddock’s alma mater, the Good Hope Primary School in Old Harbour, St Catherine.
‘It a beautiful marriage. Because I love boxing and I have been training for 20 years.
“The opportunity now exists where I can help the kids at Red Ground (community). It (school) is overcrowded and nothing has changed. The stone I left in the yard 30 years ago is still there. So now I have the ability and opportunity to generate some funds to build a more sustainable school, I am using my talent to do it and James Toney is a great candidate,” Ruddock stated.
Ruddock, who turns 60 on December 21, revealed he never fought in Jamaica because it was never financially viable to do so during the prime of his career.
“Money. People don’t promote fights here because of money. But I am free now. So they can afford me,” he said.
“But it will mean the world to me to be fighting in front of my fans and to hear Jamaicans cheering for me.
“I want everyone to come out and support my school. I am just the entertainment. But it’s going to be one of the best entertainment you ever see on planet earth,” he commented.
‘Rumble in the Sun’ executive producer, Kleopatra Ruddock, the daughter of ‘Razor’ and the driving force behind the event, said her objectives are to help Jamaican boxing and give back to the next generation.
“We want to give back and to make an impact. We see what the Jamaican boxing board has been doing over the years and they just need additional support.
“We roped my dad in and integrated him and use his resources and his network to help give back to the younger generation,” she said.
She also wants the event to help in the re-emergence of the sport locally.
“There was an era when we were producing world champions. We have seen that dwindled but this event is a catalyst. It is a catalyst to spark us up again and provide a programme so the youths can get involved and harness that potential.
“It is just to tap into that potential and develop fighters inside and outside of the ring,” she said.
JBA president, Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones, is convinced the legend series will bring attention to the sport and provide another platform for boxers to showcase their talent.
“The legend series we have adopted recently and there is a lot of ground that can be gained through it.
“You don’t have two bigger legends than James Toney and Donovan Ruddock.
“The legend series will be a big attraction. There are a lot of legends out there who still have the fire and can still do a bit of exhibition boxing.
“With the platforms we have now, our local boxers here believe it can fuel their careers and can carry them to the level.
“The fact that it will have an overseas audience in terms of pay-per-view is very good for them,” he said.
The event was launched at the AC Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Wednesday and it will be held annually.