( l - r ) Reittie, Planter

With nearly $2 million in prize money at stake, two of the eight boxers in the quarter-finals of the Wray and Nephew Contender series, Richard Reittie and Ricardo Planter will seek a semi-final berth when competitive action resumes tonight at the Chinese Benevolent Association auditorium. Fight time is at 8:30 starting with two amateur bouts.

A victory in this second round of competition, guarantees a good payday, as the winner of the series, which is being promoted by MJK Productions with the approval of the Jamaica Boxing Board of Control, and sponsored by Wray and Nephew, Foska Oats and TVJ, gets the top prize of $1 million. The runner-up earns $500,000, third place $250,000 and fourth place $200,000.

The early knockouts that marked the first round of competition are not expected to continue in the quarter-finals. The two opponents tonight have similar records and are evenly matched, so it should be a competitive fight. Reittie, who is a Canada-based Jamaican, came into the competition with very high hopes, but in his first fight against journeyman Glenroy "Bumpy" Beckford, he was not impressive.

This could have been because Beckford, who is usually aggressive, became passive after an action-packed first round, and to avoid taking punishment, started to hold his opponent. He was cautioned then warned by the referee and after the third warning, he was disqualified.

Planter had a very easy first-round passage, as, going against Allan Cann, who was making his professional debut, he set a blistering pace and the fight was stopped after 29 seconds, after he landed a series of head blows that made his opponent defenceless.

A close contest is expected, but one has to also take into account the fact that Reittie, who has a 10-2 record, has won seven of those fights inside the distance. Planter is 5-5-2, with two stoppages. Both boxers are expected to test each other's boxing skills in the early rounds, but it could get explosive after three rounds.

Reittie, told STAR Sports that he was very disappointed with his first-round performance, which he said was due to the awkwardness of his opponent. He has promised to make amends tonight and score an impressive victory . Planter is also oozing confidence, and has said publicly that there is no way he can lose tonight. It will therefore be interesting to see who will seize the initiative later.