Articles tagged with: ireland

Best super-bantamweights on a mega-fight collision course

Photograph: ESPN

Guillermo Rigondeaux and Carl Frampton are by general consensus the two best super-bantamweights in the world and a buzz is slowly building around a potential unification bout. Rigondeaux’s manager Gary Hyde has made it clear that he wants either Frampton or Scott Quigg now that a potential Leo Santa Cruz fight has been scuppered by the WBC champion’s loyalty to Al Haymon’s career plan. Frampton’s team are averting their gaze towards Quigg but the Rigondeaux fight must surely be on the radar at some point.

Shane McGuigan: ‘Kiko was like a wounded lion’

Photograph: Brian Peters Promotions

“A fighter is at his most dangerous when hurt” is an aphorism often trawled out after boxing matches. Trainer Shane McGuigan has seen his own stock rise off the back of Frampton’s success, since taking over full training duties from Belfast veteran Gerry Storey. Considered and erudite in his vocal delivery, Shane’s record is currently speaking for itself despite the detractors.

Frampton believes Belfast atmosphere the best around

SONY DSC“Big Tony Bellew over there will tell you that Liverpool fans are the best but they aren’t, Belfast fans are!” yelled Carl Frampton shortly after settling down on the ring apron to speak with BoxNation TV. Bellew, commentating at ringside for BBC Five Live, was no doubt grinning away as the diminutive Frampton hollered across the ring. No animosity was intended from the jubilant newly-crowned world champion, still on a high after posting the finest win of his career to date.

Kassai gets six of the best as exciting Geraghty wins again

Photograph: Irish-boxing.com

Declan Geraghty is making waves and gathering interest with his fan-friendly style. The MGM stable in Marbella that Declan trains in currently boasts a rich variety of talent on its books. The quality of sparring is currently at a premium with many fighters travelling over to reap the benefits. The Irish boxing scene may be experiencing a slight lull at the moment but this does not mean that the talent is not out there. Geraghty enjoyed a four-round points victory over Ignac Kassai in Dublin on September 12 to improve his record to 6-0 (1 KO).

Keeler can’t KO Kovacs but grabs a points victory

Photograph: Sharon Fanagan

Middleweight prospect Luke Keeler improved his record to 6-0 (4 KOs) on Friday, September 12 but the 27-year-old disclosed afterwards that he was not overly impressed with his own performance. Despite tucking a rigid six-round workout under his belt, via a 59-55 victory over Laszlo Kovacs, Luke revealed that he was much to learn before he can consider moving up in levels.

Philip Sutcliffe’s back in business and ready for a title assault

Philip Sutcliffe Jnr made a welcome return to the ring recently and manager Pat Magee has big plans for his young charge. The veteran Belfast manager who guided Brian Magee to world-level success and also handled Kiko Martinez at a time is using his expertise to handle the careers of Sutcliffe Jnr and cruiserweight Tommy McCarthy. Sutcliffe enjoyed a one-sided four-round points win over gallant Scottish southpaw Martin McCord in Dublin’s Red Cow venue on September 12 and was delighted to be back in business following a layoff.

‘Big Sexy’ looking good as Turner blasts away another opponent

Sean Turner certainly knows how to work a crowd. Just moments after registering his second pro knockout ‘Big Sexy’ was off celebrating with his Dublin faithful, packed inside the Red Cow hotel. While Turner’s debut opponent, Hungary’s Zoltan Elekes, lasted a mere eight seconds his compatriot Istvan Ruzsinszky did at least manage to reach the fourth and final round. His efforts were rewarded with a spiteful left hook that landed with such devastating finality that referee Emile Tiedt waved it off without counting.

Titanic Showdown undercard round-up: Conlan, O’Kane, Cacace

o'kane-matchroom

Photographs: Matchroom Sports/Russell Pritchard

Jamie Conlan had his hands full with sprightly Mexican Jose Estrella on the Titanic Showdown undercard but managed to eke out a unanimous victory.  Scores of 97-93 (twice) and 99-92 enabled the Belfast super-flyweight to take away the WBO inter-continental belt. Estrella pressed the action throughout and was not easily deterred, making it a tough night’s work for Conlan who also suffered a cut.

Barry McGuigan: ‘Kiko return will be better than the first fight’

frampton-setanta1The first fight was an intriguing clash of styles. Kiko Martinez swaggered in to Belfast with his European super-bantamweight title but left empty handed after being comprehensively knocked out by Carl Frampton on a cold February evening at the Odyssey Arena. Now they will do it all again, in an impressively constructed outdoor venue on the Titanic Slipways in early September. This time Kiko arrives with a world title and promoter Barry McGuigan reckons that his man will once again strip the Spaniard of his prize asset. The Cyclone Promotions head man is expecting the fight to be even better than the first and a scrap befitting of the fantastic 16,000 capacity venue.

Road to the world title: Frampton in pictures 2010

In the lead-up to Carl Frampton’s huge headliner this Saturday night Irish Boxing Review have been digging through our photo archives to find some choice snaps of the Belfast world title challenger.

The first photograph is of Carl with Bobby Lavery and Cormac Campbell collecting his Boxer of the Year award.

The second set of photos is back in Midland ABC as Carl sharpens his tools on the pads with Barry McGuigan.

The third set are from the Europa Hotel as Carl joins the likes of Stephen Haughian and Jamie Conlan on the undercard of Paul McCloskey’s European title defence against Italy’s Guiseppe Lauri.

The fourth set are from the Ulster Hall where promoter Barry McGuigan was busy announcing a six-fight deal with Setanta Sports in the Ulster Hall. Frampton only fought there twice as it happened, beating Yuri Voronin and Gavin Reid. Limerick’s Willie Casey was being lined up as a future opponent but to date the fight never materialised. Casey, his trainer Phil Sutcliffe Senior are in the photos along with Gerry Storey and Fergus Lavery a businessman who was heavily involved with ‘Team Jackal’ at the time.

The fifth and final set are back in Midland boxing club, Tigers Bay when Carl renewed acquaintances with former amateur rival David Oliver Joyce, this time as part of a high-quality sparring session.