THE scorching heat of the Middle East will be a dramatic change from Ireland’s icy winter as Belfast fighters swap the Ulster Hall for the Dubai Boxing Club and a fight series that begins with Sean McComb’s Commonwealth lightweight rumble with Gavin Gwynne on February 6.
McComb left for Dubai on Sunday and, just over a month on from his clash with Welsh hardman Gwynne, Tyrone McKenna travels east to square-up to Zhankosh Turarov. On the same bill, Lewis Crocker (12-0) does battle with Deniz Ilbay (22-2) for the WBO European welterweight title and Gary Cully (11-0) meets Viktor Kotochigov (12-1) for the vacant WBO European Lightweight belt.
It’s all a far cry from the days when local fighters’ only prospect of action was facing journeymen at leisure centres and having to flog tickets to their mates but the comparatively glamourous new surroundings do come with risks attached. All four Irish fighters are in against opponents who will see themselves as favourites before the leather starts flying in Dubai.
McComb and Gwynne is an intriguing fight to start the series. Gwynne lost to James Tennyson last August but the Merthyr Tydfil man had been well in the fight until Tennyson’s power punching wore him down and caught up with him in the sixth.
Tennyson is a puncher while McComb, light on his feet and technically excellent, is a boxer and he’ll have to be at his best to beat Gwynne. So too will Tyrone McKenna when he meets Zhankosh Turarov on March 12.
When fight fans think of Kazakhstani boxers they’ll immediately conjure up a mental image of ‘Triple G’. Turarov may not be in fearsome Gennady Golovkin’s class but, with a 24-0 record that includes 17 stoppage wins, the much-travelled ‘Kazakh Kid’ is a dangerous proposition in his own right.
McKenna will base himself in Dublin to prepare for the fight and he’ll concentrate on two training sessions a day, six days a week, with coach Pete Taylor. He intends to be in the shape of his life for the desert battle in seven weeks’ time.
“It’s going to be a short camp so I have to get in as many training sessions as possible,” he said.
“I’m living in this wee granny flat with no internet. I’ve no phone signal so I can’t even watch videos… I’m just sitting here, I might as well train three times a day!”
His current circumstances are a reminder of the sacrifices all boxers have to make to get to the top of the sport. But McKenna knows they will be worth it when he takes the scalp of Florida-based Turarov, who is ranked #9 with the WBO. With the WBO Inter-Continental expected to be on the line, victory will put the winner right in the mix for a world title shot.
“At this level, every fight is going to be tough,” he said.
“After my last fight (a points loss to Ohara Davies in the Golden Contract final) I said I didn’t want to take a backward step. I wanted a big fight and Jamie (Conlan) and MTK delivered, they’ve got me a tough fight but these are the kind of fights that get me out of bed in the morning and they’re the kind of fights that excite me.”
Turarov has boxed in his native country as well as USA, Panama, Columbia and, in 2019, he made an appearance in Wales. He is unbeaten but that doesn’t make him unbeatable, says McKenna.
“I’ve watched him,” he said.
“He’s never fought someone of my calibre. The people he’s fought, some of them have been decent but they haven’t been at the level of the likes of Jack Catterall or Mohamed Mimoune… I have a lot more experience in tough fights and I’ve been through a lot more than he has.
“I think that’s going to pay dividends in our fight. He is a big puncher and a smart boxer but I think there are flaws in him that I’ll look to exploit.”
After his most recent performance ended in a point loss to Ohara Davies, McKenna has vowed never to die wondering again. He set aside his warrior tendencies against Davies and was much more disciplined in his approach and, going forward, he intends to mix attack with smart defence.
“I’m not going to back-foot box,” he said.
“Even though that’s the point of boxing – move and not get hit and land your own shots – but it doesn’t seem like judges appreciate that. I’m going to be standing in the centre of the ring but I’m going to be smart, boxing but more aggressive and throwing a lot of punches.
“I won’t go out seeing red with all guns blazing, I’ll be smart about it.”
DONEGAL middleweight Jason Quigley (18-1) will battle Shane Mosley jnr (16-3 and son of former three-weight world champion 'Sugar') for the NABO title at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio on February 13.
Quigley has impressed with back-to-back stoppage wins since linking up with former middleweight world champion Andy Lee and says he feels “more than ready” for the challenge.
The Ballybofey native worked hard to stay sharp and in shape over the lockdown period and, with a ranking title up for grabs, the 29-year-old former NABF middleweight champion is determined to “start making some noise”.
“These titles are all stepping stones to where I want to go in this sport. I have to get in and take care of business,” said Quigley.
“Shane Mosley is the next man in my way and I have to take him out to move up the ladder. I want to start making some noise in this division and I know I’m close to the big fights I want.”
Quigley has fought seven of his 19 professional fights at Fantasy Springs so is well accustomed to the venue and the former amateur world silver and European gold medallist added: “I’m very close to a real breakout fight to get a big title shot and this is the next step on that journey.”
Californian Mosley jnr said: "I want to thank everyone at Golden Boy and The Contender for giving us this opportunity. I have been working extremely hard, and I'm ready to show that I belong among the best in the world. Make sure to watch me live on DAZN on February 13 against an excellent fighter in Jason Quigley.”
Golden Boy CEO and ring legend Oscar De La Hoya described the meeting as “a crossroads fight”.
“Jason Quigley and Shane Mosley jnr will leave it all in the ring to regain contender status in the middleweight division,” he said.
NEW WBO super-bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton is on collision-course with Michael Conlan after he dethroned Angelo Leo last weekend. Fulton dominated defending champion Leo and took a unanimous points win. Afterwards Conlan tweeted his congratulations, adding: 'I'm coming to see you soon".
