EAMON LOUGHRAN has sensationally pulled the plug on his return to the ring next week.
But the Ulster Hall Fight Night bill on Tuesday could see the return of former-Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion Noel Magee.
Former WBO welterweight champion Loughran was unavailable for comment last night but his Matchroom management in England confirmed that the Ballymena man had withdrawn from his scheduled bout with journeyman Ojay Abrahams.
It is believed Loughran has cited the flu virus as the knock-out punch which lead to his decision not to fight as chief support to Darren Corbett’s Irish cruiserweight title bout.
Loughran has not stepped into the ring since losing his WBO welterweight crown to Mexican Jose Luis Lopez in Liverpool last year.
But it is very doubtful at this point in time that Ireland’s former world champion will quit the ring altogether.
Late last year he said his sights were on a title shot in March or
April. He could return in the proposed Belfast Fight Night next month, but will need at least two bouts under his belt before thinking about a title fight.
In spite of the late pull-out the bill has been boosted by speculation last night that Noel Magee will fight next week.
If he does, his presence will add spice to the event and talks will most likely begin to firm up a mouthwatering clash with Darren Corbett in February, possibly at the new Waterfront Hall.
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CHELSEA’S Gianfranco Zola and Juventus star Alessandro Del Piero conjured the magic to give as a new Italian era burst into life over a gritty north in Sicily last night.
Chelsea’s mighty midget provided the perfect launch for new Italian coach Cesare Maldini with a typical piece of trickery after just eight minutes in Palermo’s smoke-filled stadium.
But Northern Ireland proved far from obliging opposition in this hastily-arranged warm-up, their typically stubborn resistance frustrating the Italians until two minutes from the end.
But then Del Piero curled in a wonderful freekick to put the seal on Maldini’s debut and give England coach Hoddle plenty of food for thought as his World Cup qualifying campaign looms.
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There may be no Tiger Woods in sight, but European golf tour boss Ken Schofield is far from gloomy as a new season opens far from home in Queensland today.
And up and coming stars like Ireland’s Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington hold the key to the continued success of the European Tour.
The £700,000 star-studded Johnnie Walker Classic at Hope Island – sanctioned by both the European and Australasian circuits – kicks off a year which Schofield hopes will culminate in a successful defence of the Ryder Cup at Valderrama in September.
Speaking on Europe’s leading golfers, Schofield said: “Sure they are getting a little older – Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer are all 40 this year and Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam will soon join them in 1998 – but they are also wiser while still being competitive and dedicated.
“Encouragingly too, we are at the point of having added to them the largest, brightest, best crop of emerging, fresh talent the tour has ever produced.”
Schofield singled out 25-year-olds Thomas Bjorn and Padraig Harrington and 24-year-old Scot Raymond Russell.
But he could also have named 23-year-old Lee Westwood, 26-year-old Andrew Coltart and 28-year-old Darren Clarke, who are seen as strong candidates for Ryder Cup debuts.
Bjorn is the best placed of all the above to be part of Ballesteros’s team. The first Dane to win on the circuit he currently stands second on the qualifying points table behind Colin Montgomerie.
