THE much vaunted John Duddy ‘Homecoming’ gave fans what they wanted in the form of a stand-up fight with Alessio Furlan that went to within 25 seconds of the final bell before referee Emile Teidt halted proceedings.

Derry middleweight John Duddy scored a tenth-round stoppage of Italian Alessio Furlan overnight to triumph in his first professional fight on Irish soil.

HE HAS taken the US by storm.

JOHN DUDDY wants a shot at a European title sooner rather than later, and his manager, Tony McLoughlin, has predicted a title before the end of the year but the Derry man, himself, is reluctant to look beyond Saturday night’s homecoming fight against Italian, Alessio Furlan, aka “Il Guerriero”.