Home|Uncategorized|All-female card set for March 31Sports
Simba FrenchSend an emailMarch 17, 2023 171 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
First Class Promotions is back and is set to host the first all-female fight night in The Bahamas. The event was initially set for October 2022, but it was postponed and will now take place Friday March 31 at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium.
The fight night is being held in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture. The main event of the evening will be a 10-round bout for the vacant World Boxing Association’s (WBA) International title between Canadian Lindsay Garbatt and American Jaimie ‘The Miracle’ Mitchell. Garbatt sports a 9-9-2 win/loss/draw record and Michtell has a 8-1-2 record. Another bout on the night will feature Brazilian Simone Silva (17-22) going up against American newcomer O’Shea Jones (1-0). There will be two more bouts held.
Bahamian icon and boxing legend Ray Minus Jr. will be honored for his contributions to the sport of boxing. Minus is now battling with the disease ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) that attacks the nervous system.
First Class Promotions’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Michelle Munnings said they are making a comeback to the sport of boxing after a 10-year hiatus.
“We had to come back with something really strong, so we decided that we were going to do an all-female boxing card for first time ever in The Bahamas. We are also the first in the Caribbean to have an all-female card. We are honoring the legendary Ray Minus Jr. who has been stricken with ALS. We want to also bring awareness to that so that persons will know what ALS is all about.”
Munnings said she is happy that they are doing the event during The Bahamas’ 50th Independence anniversary celebrations.
Representative from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture Kerry Baker, the deputy director of sports, said they are delighted to be on board with the event and is encouraging Bahamians to come out and support it.
“First Class Promotions is bringing to The Bahamas for the first time an all-women card and we are delighted. We also want to acknowledge at this time that it is for a worthy cause in honoring one of our Bahamian greats. We are just bringing some awareness to it, and hopefully the Bahamian people will understand the importance of this event,” Baker said.
The Bahamas Boxing Commission (BBC) has sanctioned the event. BBC Secretary Calvin Greene commended First Class Promotions for putting on the event.
“We wish to congratulate Michelle Munnings-Minus on this achievement – putting together such a production as an all-female event. I believe it is certainly going to be fantastic and so we gave our support,” Greene said.
One of the sponsors, Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Co. Ltd., was represented at the press conference. Brand manager for Modelo at the company Nathan Arnett said they will have a physical presence at the show.
“We wanted to give back to Ray Minus Jr. and there was no hesitation in coming on board with this. We also want to bring awareness of ALS and, you know, other serious illnesses and injuries that come along with that,” Arnett said. “We know over the years Minus has given back. He has really done a lot for this country and he has been a huge hero for this country. We came on board and we want to announce that at the event, with the bar, we are giving 100 percent of the profit to Minus. This is not about making money for us, we came on board because we know what he did over the years and we just want to give back to him.”
Munnings said interest from the public has picked up and they expect to see a good crowd out to support the event. Tickets for the event can be bought online at www.bahamasetickets.com. General admission is $35 each, and the VIP price is $125.
Munnings added that there will be T-shirts for sale the day before the event in support of Minus. She thanked the many sponsors for coming on board to support the event.