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'My best beats his best' says Paddy Gallagher ahead of double title Feile rumble with Chris Jenkins

Carleigh Irving, from Illies Golden Gloves, is included on a 32-strong Irish squad for next month’s European Schoolboy/girl Championships in Georgia.
Carleigh Irving, from Illies Golden Gloves, is included on a 32-strong Irish squad for next month’s European Schoolboy/girl Championships in Georgia. Carleigh Irving, from Illies Golden Gloves, is included on a 32-strong Irish squad for next month’s European Schoolboy/girl Championships in Georgia.

PADDY Gallagher says “you win or you learn” as he looks back over a career of impressive wins and near misses that has led him to his British and Commonwealth welterweight double-title showdown against Chris Jenkins on August 3.

In a 12-rounder that should be among the highlights of a night to remember at the Michael Conlan-Diego Ruiz headlined Falls Park, Feile an Phobail extravaganza, hard-hitting Gallagher says his best will beat Jenkins’ best. But he has to produce his best on the night.

“It’s a massive fight and I can’t wait,” he said.

“It’s a very hard fight but a very winnable fight. I won’t win it easy and I’ll not get it easy but I’m willing to do whatever it takes.

“A lot has been said about him having a good workrate and coming off a good win but I’m coming off a good win myself and I have a good workrate as well. It’s a very 50-50 fight and there’s things I have over him and things he has over me, we’ll have to see on the night.”

On the plus side, Gallagher is the natural welterweight while Jenkins has only previous appearance at the weight came in March when he stepped up from light-welter to beat Johnny Garton.

‘Padman’ should also be the stronger, bigger man, he hits harder and he also has home advantage whilst defending champion Jenkins has more experience of going the 12-round distance and is going into his fourth British title fight.

“Whatever performance I produce on the night will decide what the outcome will be,” said Gallagher.

“It’s all well and good thinking you’re capable and you can do it but if you don’t produce the goods it won’t happen for you.

“If I bring my best I’m more than confident that I’ll be victorious on the night.”

Jenkins took on Dubliner Phil Sutcliffe jnr in his only previous appearance in Belfast back in 2016. The Welshman never took a backward step and looked to have done enough that night but Sutcliffe got the nod from the referee when the final bell ended a hammer-and-tongs contest. Jenkins can mix it but Gallagher expects him to box and move when he bell sounds at Falls Park.

“I don’t expect him to come out for a fight,” said Gallagher.

“If he checked me out on YouTube he would see that I was out-pointed by Freddie Kewitt and Brad Solomon (even though I was robbed in that fight).

“He might think: ‘Tell you what, I’ll box him’ but I’m ready to adapt, if he does come and he wants to box I’ll adapt to it. Kewitt didn’t really box, he ran and if Jenkins does the same thing I’ll be ready for that.

“Each fight I’ve had, I’m progressing more and more and that Kewitt fight was a massive learning fight for me. It taught me that people aren’t going to come and have a fight with me, they’re going to run so you have to switch it up.

“If he wants to stay on the back foot I’ll be cutting him down, working at him, breaking him down and winning it round by round.

“In my professional career he’s up there with the hardest fights I’ve had but I’m more than ready. I had Sam Maxwell over for three days’ sparring last week and it was unbelievable, it was invaluable and he is very like Jenkins although he’s a lot slicker and stronger.

“I’ve prepared well, the weight is good and I need to produce it on the night. I’ve had a problem with that a couple of times but I’m more than confident It’ll work out and I’ll be the double champion this time.”

Meanwhile, Paddy Barnes will take on African flyweight John Chuwa (17-4) at the Feile an Phobail bill.

Barnes (5-2) has fought just once since his world title shot against Cristofer Rosales at Windsor Park last summer and should be in for a test against Tanzania’s Chuwa, a former WBC International Silver Light-Flyweight title contender.

Falls Park card:

Vacant WBA Inter-Continental and WBO Inter-Continental featherweight titles: Michael Conlan (11-0) v Diego Alberto Ruiz (21-2)

Super-lightweight: Sean McComb (7-0) v Renald Garrido (24-24-3)

British Welterweight and vacant Commonwealth (British Empire) Welterweight titles: Paddy Gallagher (16-5) v Chris Jenkins (21-3-2)

Middleweight: Luke Keeler (16-2-1) v Luis Arias (18-1-1)

Vacant BUI super-middleweight title: Padraig McCrory (8-0) v Steve Collins Jr (14-2-1)

Middleweight: Alfredo Meli (16-0-1) v Araik Marutjan (8-0)

Flyweight: Paddy Barnes (5-2) v John Chuwa (17-4)

Cruiserweight: Damien Sullivan (1-0) v TBC

Super-featherweight: Callum Bradley (2-0) v Jose Hernandez (4-35-1)

Lightweight: Sean Gerard Duffy (1-0) v Naheem Chaudhry (2-50-1)

Bantamweight: Dennis McCann (2-0) v Patrik Bartos (16-21)

ULSTER boxers celebrated with a fantastic four at the national U18 championships in Dublin at the weekend, writes Neil Loughran.

Nicole Clyde (Antrim), Jude Gallagher (Two Castles), Leah Gallen (Raphoe) and Jake Tucker (Emerald) all topped the podium on Saturday to put themselves in the frame for a spot on the Irish team that heads to the European Youth Championships in September.

Flyweight Clyde stopped Rathkeale’s Fiona O’Keeffe in the third round of their final, while Gallen took a split decision win over Setanta’s Mary Enright at 69kg.

Tucker, meanwhile, got the better of Jack Kelly in the middleweight decider, with Gallagher enjoying a straightforward success against Liberty’s Jake McMahon.

It was the 17-year-old’s first championships boxing at 52 kilos, having won European and World bronze medals at light-fly last year.

And coach, and father, John Gallagher is hopeful the Tyrone teenager can kick on from the success of 2018 – starting at the Europeans in Bulgaria.

“He was grand,” said Gallagher of the step up in weight.

“He felt sharp, and he wasn’t as grumpy this time making weight, that’s the only thing I can say! The European Youths is the big one now – he got a bronze there last year, and could have gone even further.

“It’s a challenge to medal every year, but he has three good international tournaments behind him – the European juniors, the European youths and the world youths, so that experience will hopefully stand to him.”

Meanwhile, a 32-strong Irish squad has been confirmed for next month’s European Schoolboy/girl Championships in Georgia.

Included on the panel are Ulster fighters Kyle Thomas Smith (Holy Trinity), Patrick Stokes from the St John’s club in Swatragh, Carrickmore welter Thomas Ward and Carleigh Irving from Illies Golden Gloves.

It has been a whirlwind few weeks for Irving, who won the 46kg Irish cadet title before coming up trumps in her first international contest, defeating Italy’s Lambo Mariagrazia in a schoolgirl international in Edenderry.