JASON Quigley will be right back in the world title mix if he beats unbeaten Edgar Berlanga (20-0) at Madison Square Garden on June 24.
The Donegal super-middleweight made his comeback after almost a hear and-a-half on the sidelines at the National Stadium in Dublin on April 1 with a 10-round points win over Gabor Gorbics and says he is ready to step back to elite level as the headline act at the iconic New York venue against former WBO world title challenger Berlanga.
“This fight is massive for me,” Quigley said.
“I need to get in there now, put in a great performance and come away victorious. That’ll put me right in line for a world title shot and put me right in line for the biggest names in the super-middleweight division.
“Madison Square Garden is one of the most iconic professional boxing venues in the world. The best of the best, the cream of the crop have fought there so it’s exciting and a great honour to fight there, but at the end of the day it’s just another venue and there is business to take care of.”
Quigley, who is trained by former world champion Andy Lee, has stepped up to super-middleweight and sees this bout as a chance to catapult himself back into the world mix.
The Donegal man said: “I feel good and I feel strong at super-middleweight. I’m very excited for the opportunities that this fight could bring me. I’m grateful to Matchroom Boxing and DAZN for giving me this opportunity. It’s exciting times and the perfect fight on the perfect stage after a solid 10 rounds in Dublin.”
Quigley can expect to be backed by a sizable Irish audience in the Big Apple - and believes he can give them a night to remember.
The Sheer Sports Management fighter said: “We all know how passionate the Irish are in New York and I know they’ll come out in big numbers to support me again.
“It’s great to be back in the mix on the biggest stage of boxing. The cream rises to these occasions and it’s time for me to do that.
“It couldn’t come at a better time. I had a fantastic training camp ahead of my last fight and got a good, solid ten rounds under my belt. I felt controlled and comfortable working on everything that we’ve been doing in the gym. It’s all about getting in there and doing it again.”
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LEWIS Crocker returns to action for the first time since November 2021 when he fights Joel Julio in Glasgow on Friday night.
Crocker (14-0) had seven fights under his belt in his first 18 months as a professional. The first six of those were stoppage wins but since August 2018 his career has slowed down. ‘Croc’ has had just seven more outings since and his changed trainers from Ray Ginley to Dee Walsh to Adam Booth and he is now with Billy Nelson in Scotland.
Heavy-handed and dynamic at his best, Crocker will hope for consistent action. In his last fight he made the second defence of his WBO European welterweight title when he stopped Artem Haroyan in the seventh at the Ulster Hall.
Meanwhile, Florida-based Derry native Connor Coyle will fight for the vacant North American Boxing Association (NABA) middleweight title against Fernando Ezequiel Farias (10-2-2) on April 29.
JOSH Taylor will defend his WBO and Ring Magazine titles against former lightweight kingpin Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden on June 10.
Scotland’s ‘Tartan Tornado’ is 19-0 and the former undisputed junior welterweight champion, having collected all four major belts in a remarkable four-fight run that included wins over Ivan Baranchyk, Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez.
He debuted in the paid ranks in 2015 and captured a Commonwealth title in his second year before defeating fellow unbeaten prospect Ohara Davies via seventh-round TKO.
The 32-year-old then beat former world champions Miguel Vazquez and Viktor Postol before entering the World Boxing Super Series in 2018. Taylor stopped then-undefeated contender Ryan Martin via TKO before capturing his first world title with a decision victory over Baranchyk.
His wins over Prograis and Ramirez left no doubt as to the world’s supreme 140-pound practitioner. Taylor returns more than one year after his last performance, a debatable split decision nod over Jack Catterall.
Lopez (18-1) is the former unified and lineal lightweight champion of the world. In December 2019, he captured the IBF title with an explosive second-round knockout of Richard Commey.
The following October, he bested pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko to win the WBA, WBO, and WBC Franchise titles. Thirteen months later, he lost the belts on split decision to George Kambosos Jr.
The 25-year-old then made his junior welterweight debut in August 2022 by stopping Pedro Campa in the seventh round. Last December, Lopez edged Spanish southpaw Sandor Martin by split decision. Before becoming world champion, he was the buzz of the boxing world with highlight-reel knockouts over Diego Magdaleno and Mason Menard. Lopez now has his sights set on another southpaw and hopes to become the sport’s latest two-division ruler.
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SHAKUR Stevenson (20-0) secured his shot at the WBC lightweight title with a commanding sixth-round TKO against Japan’s Shuichiro Yoshino (16-1) Saturday night at Newark's Prudential Center.
Southpaw Stevenson’s arsenal was on full display as he used his signature lead right hand to control range and dominate Yoshino, who had questioned Stevenson’s power before the fight.
Stevenson (25) clipped him with a short left hand and dropped him in the second round. He was then able to do as he pleased, whether it was to pick shots on the outside or to even allow himself to be pushed on the ropes to land counter uppercuts to the body.
In the fourth round, a three-punch combo sent Yoshino to the canvas for the second time. Stevenson continued landing at will until referee Allen Huggins was forced to stop the action at 1:35 of the sixth.
Stevenson said: “He felt my power. I sat down on a couple punches and dropped him. Honestly, I wanted the ref to let it go on a little bit longer. I had just caught my second wind. I was going to put him out.
He added: "Tell him [Devin Haney] to come on. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. I swear to God. I’ve been waiting for that for a long time. Me and Devin been in the ring with each other for years. I always got the best of Devin. Tell him, ‘come on.’"
