14.06.07 – McCullough made the decision following a delay in confirming a suitable opponent for the bout. The Belfast native had agreed to fight Mexico’s Francisco Mateos earlier this week but a delay in confirming Mateos travel arrangements led to McCullough’s withdrawal..
Speaking regarding the withdrawal promoter Brian Peters said, “It’s a great shame that Wayne won’t be on the card. We worked very hard to secure the right kind of opponent for Wayne and finally came to an agreement earlier this week.
“He was due to leave his home in Las Vegas yesterday to fly to Dublin but Mateos had some passport issues we were tying to resolve. They were resolved earlier today but Wayne felt that he was not mentally prepared for the fight so he decided not to travel to Dublin.
“Of course it would have been great to see Wayne back in front of an Irish crowd and I think a lot of fans were looking forward to seeing him in action again but I have to respect his decision.
“Obviously, the absence of Wayne is a major disappointment not only to myself but to the boxing public at large, but these things are part and parcel of staging a professional boxing show that takes all of three months to put together, and I still feel that even without Wayne there is a great night’s boxing in store on Saturday week.
“Bernard Dunne, of course, will be out to make amends for one of the few defeats of his amateur career when he takes on Reidar Walstad from Norway. Walstad is ranked number three in Europe, so there is no doubt he’s a serious threat to Bernard’s title.
“Neil Sinclair is also on the card and he’s in a very tough fight against Francis Jones. That fight is effectively an eliminator for a British title shot so there’s a lot at stake for both men. We’re also breaking new ground with the first ever Women’s professional fight in the Republic of Ireland and we also have Irish light welterweight champion Oisin Fagan on the card so it still promises to be a great night’s boxing.”
The bill also features Dublin’s unbeaten Patrick Hyland and Sean Mannion trained heavyweight John Timlin from Mayo.
The full line up for the Hunky Dorys Fight Night at the Point in June 23rd is:
Bernard Dunne V Reidar Walstad – European Super Bantamweight Title
Neil Sinclair V Francis Jones
Oisin Fagan V Chill John
Jill Emery V Angel McKenzie
Lukasz Wawrzyczek V Ciaran Healy
Patrick Hyland V To Be Confirmed
John Timlin V Roland Horvath