The Irish boxing boom continues apace this Saturday with two Irish titles up for grabs on the Ladbrokes.com Fight Night at the National Stadium, Dublin. Following on from John Duddy’s exciting win at a sold out Kings Hall in Belfast last weekend fellow Irish middleweight sensation Andy Lee will go in search of the first title of his career when he contests the vacant Irish Super Middleweight title with Jason McKay..
And in a second Irish title on the card Eugene Heagney and Colin Moffett contest the vacant Irish title at bantamweight.
Promoter Brian Peters believes the night should add up to an early Christmas treat for fight fans. “Last weekend was a great success, it was a real throwback to the great McGuigan nights at the Kings Hall and John Duddy proved that he’s improving all the time with his win over Howard Eastman.
“This Saturday night is shaping up to be a very interesting one as well. Andy Lee is taking a big step up by facing Jason McKay for the Irish title but his trainer Emanuel Steward believes he’s more than ready for it. You can’t underestimate Jason though because he’s a great record himself, with just one defeat from 19 fights and he’s really fired up for this one.”
McKay’s trainer John Breen believes his man can put an end to Lee’s unbeaten run. “The bogeyman’s coming to get Lee this weekend!” declared Breen. “He hasn’t fought anyone yet, Jason will be the first live opponent he’s been in with so let’s see how he reacts when he has to go into the trenches and dig deep. I know Jason can do that but can Andy?”
Peters is happy to be showcasing another pair of Irish title fights after Andrew Murray and Ciaran Healy picked up the Light Welterweight and Light Middleweight titles respectively at the Kings Hall last weekend. “We have another two Irish titles being contested this weekend so that speaks volumes for the strength of Irish boxing at the moment.”
“Heagney and Moffett were in a mini classic in their first fight in July. That could have gone either way but Heagney just nicked it and I think the rematch could be even better especially with the Irish title on the line this time.”
Saturday night’s undercard will feature a magnificent seven of prospects all looking to further their already impressive reputations. The Irish trio of Alo Kelly, Declan Timlin and Michael Sweeney will all be looking to extend their unbeaten records along with English featherweight Paul Truscott and Polish middleweight Lukasz Wawrzyczek.
It will be Wawrzyczek’s fourth appearance on Irish soil this year and he’s quickly building up a fan base in Ireland and his native Poland. His 10 rounder with British based puncher George Katsimpas is being televised live on national TV in Poland.
Dublin fight fans will also be catered for with Talllaght’s Eddie Hyland taking part in his first scheduled 8 round contest against Bulgarian veteran Waldimir Borov. A win for Hyland should see him close in on an Irish super featherweight title shot.
Another man looking to put himself into title contention is Galway’s John O’Donnell. The London based boxer’s last appearance was on the undercard to Floyd Mayweather’s win over Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. However it wasn’t a particularly happy occasion for O’ Donnell as he lost his unbeaten record courtesy of a shock first round knockout defeat.
Still only 22 and with a record of 15 wins and just that lone defeat the Hennessy Sports promoted southpaw will be looking to get back to winning ways in Dublin.
Tickets for the Ladrokes.com Fight Night priced from €40 are on sale from Ticketmaster.ie and all usual outlets.
RTÉ’ TWO’s live coverage of the Ladbrokes.com Fight Night begins at 9pm on Saturday night.
The full line-up is as follows:
Andy Lee V Jason McKay (Vacant Irish Super Middleweight Title – 10 Rounds)
Eugene Heagney V Colin Moffett (Vacant Irish Bantamweight Title – 10 Rounds)
Lukasz Wawrzyczek V George Katsimpas (Middleweight – 10 Rounds)
Eddie Hyland V Wladimir Borov (Super Featherweight – 8 Rounds)
Paul Truscott V Nikita Lukin (Featherweight – 8 Rounds)
John O’Donnell V Artur Jashkul (Welterweight – 6 Rounds)
Declan Timlin V Aleksandrs Selezens (Heavyweight – 6 Rounds) 6
Alo Kelly V Andrei Tolstihs (Light Heavyweight – 4 Rounds)
Michael Sweeney V Klaids Kristapsons (Cruiserweight – 4 Rounds)