Leroy Brown, Gleaner Writer

There should be a lot of fireworks tonight at the Chinese Benevolent Asso-ciation auditorium on Old Hope Road, as the Wray & Nephew Middleweight Contender 2013 enters the second round with an interesting fight between Ramel 'Sub Zero' Lewis, the 2012 runner-up and newcomer Lenworth McNaughton as the main bout. There will also be two amateur bouts on the fight card, which will be televised live on TVJ starting at 9:30.

Sponsored by J. Wray & Nephew, with Foska Oats and TVJ as the associate sponsors, the series is offering 16 boxers, divided into two teams, Green and Yellow, the opportunity to vie for the Welterweight Contender title belt, and a first prize of $1 million. Last week, Richard Holmes scored a second-round technical knockout victory over Lloyd Smith to put himself in the quarter-finals.

Power punching

The promoters have also announced that Ricardo Planter, who fought for the middleweight title in 2011, has been added to the Yellow team to replace Dean Palmer, who backed out of the competition after he was selected to fight last week.

Lewis, who is known for his aggression and power punching, has stated that he is more relaxed in his training this year under his new trainer, Job Walters. Last year, he was in the Hard Knocks camp but those boxers will be his rivals this year.

With the move up in division, Lewis has said he is more comfortable this year because he has no weight problems. He also believes that being heavier gives him more punching power. He had a great run last year before losing to Donovan 'Police' Campbell in the finals.

McNaughton, who is making his debut as a professional, will be hard-pressed to keep up with Lewis, as he has moderate boxing skills. He is taller than his opponent and his best bet is to stay at long range and score with his jabs. Keeping Lewis at bay will not be an easy feat, however, and watching the action unfold will be interesting.