PODY McCrory (17-0) is ranked fourth with the WBO and after two low-key performances (by his standards) he now has the platform and, in 18-1-1 Steed Woodall, the opponent he needs to catch the eye of the promoters and force his way into the world title fight he craves.
McCrory travelled to watch his native Antrim in their Tailteann Cup semi-final clash against Meath at Croke Park on Sunday. The super-middleweight contender will be able to count on support from the Saffron footballers in the packed arena when he headlines at Falls Park in Feile an Phobail on August 4.
“This has been six and-a-half years’ in the making so it’s something that I’ve worked hard towards and to finally get to be main event at my local festival is massive for me,” he said.
“I try not to let the pressure of big fights get to me. I went to Germany to challenge a world champion and it was ‘just’ another fight… Obviously being the main event in my home town will add extra pressure and I’m expecting a big, big night at Fall’s Park and I’m up against a very decent opponent.
“My last two fights haven’t been very good performances but I won them and now it’s about keeping winning and building towards a big finish in 2023.”
He’ll hope that big finish to the year will have the words ‘world title’ attached to it and this opportunity at Fall’s Park has fallen perfectly for McCrory who needs a high-profile win on this stage to push him into contention.
“This is only going to build my profile, get more people talking about me so it’s exactly what I need to get the big opportunities,” said ‘The Hammer’.
“Ideally I would love a crack at (Edgar) Berlanga. At the end of the day, he’s one of the biggest stars in the division and he’s topping the bill at Madison Square Garden at that’s exactly where I want to go.”
His 29-year-old opponent Woodall has fought most of his career in the USA and in the Dominican Republican but returned to his native Birmingham in 2021. The one loss on his card came against Steve Rolls who went on to share the share the ring with Gennady Golovkin and Berlanga.
“He was a decent amateur as well and he’s got a good record with 11 knockouts so he’s definitely got something about him,” said McCrory.
“It’s a fight that I’m confident of winning. He’s coming to Fall’s Park in Belfast which I think is going to be fairly hostile. I’m expecting a good test but I’m also expecting to win the fight.”
Falls Park first hosted boxing in 2015 when Tommy McCarthy headlined a marquee show - organised by the late Pat Magee - against Courtney Fry. Since then purpose built arenas have been constructed and Michael Conlan topped the bill in 2019 and 2021.
McCrory boxed on the two most recent shows and scored stoppage wins against Steve Collins junior (Celtic super-middleweight title) and Sergei Gorokhov (WBC Silver title).
“It’s time for me – especially after the last two performances – to step up,” said McCrory.
“I have to try to put on a show and be the main event. There’s a small bit of pressure because, as the main event, you want to put on a show and I’m training hard to do that.
“I’ll be going out there to put on a career-best performance.”
MATCHOOM boss Eddie Hearn poured cold water on the possibility of Pody McCrory challenging Edgar Berlanga after the Puerto Rican out-pointed Jason Quigley on Saturday night.
Hearn, who always has both eyes on the bottom line, said McCrory was considered as the opponent for Berlanga but wasn’t selected because he doesn’t yet have the profile needed to take on his rising star.
“Padraig is actually a very good fighter but not a lot of people have heard of him,” said Hearn.
“Sometimes you get criticised for making a fight like that even if it’s a really good fight. He was going to be the guy tonight but Quigley has a bigger profile even though he (McCrory) is undefeated. We went with Quigley, McCrory was on the list. Maybe in the future (he will get the fight) but we need a big name now (for Berlanga).”
Super-middleweight contender Berlanga is now being ushered towards a fight with Gennady Golovkin or Mexico’s Jaime Mungia after he dropped battling Quigley four times on the way to securing a unanimous points victory in New York.
Donegal native Quigley went down in the third, the fifth (debatably after the fighters’ legs tangled) and twice in the final round but he had his moments, frustrated Berlanga for long periods of the contest and survived to hear the last bell. He rallied in the sixth and seventh round but all three judges had ringside scored the fight for Berlanga (two 116-108 and the third 118-106).
“I give it a C,” boasted Berlanga as he rated his performance.
“We had a great camp. I’m just glad I did it once again in front of my hometown people.
“He knew I was coming to fight. Everybody that steps in the ring with me knows I got punching power and they train to survive, to try to box and move around.
“But I take my hat off to his team. They tried to have a great game plan for me. Every fighter that I face at his level, they’re gonna try to run and move around. I’m just grateful we got the victory. I was looking for a knockout, I was looking for a TKO.
“I was supposed to step on the pedal early, and I was just leaning back, staying on my jab, trying to catch the distance. We’re just going back to the drawing board. I get back in the gym in a week, and I get ready for what’s next.”
What’s next for ‘the Chosen One’? He wants to get in with one of the division’s superstars.
“I want to fight the best now,” he said.
“I feel like it’s that time. I want the Munguias, the GGGs, those type of guys. We’re looking forward to fighting once again this year and hopefully we get a big fight.
“We just scraped the rust off (tonight). I knew it what it was going to be like, shaking the rust off, getting that killer mentality back. I knew he wasn’t going to come to fight and I said it was going to be a difficult fight.”
