There will be agony and ecstasy in equal measures at Shelbourne Park this evening as the final 12 will be reduced to six in the Ladbrokes Irish Derby.

Not only did the clear favourite, Ballymac Vic, make his exit but Tyrur Sugar Ray went from being a dog of big potential to the one to beat following a breath-taking victory in a scarcely believable 29.29 in the Ladbrokes Irish Derby quarter-finals at Shelbourne Park on Saturday night.

The 23 remaining contenders will go to war in the four quarter-finals of the Ladbrokes Irish Derby at Shelburne on Saturday and the big task is in pin-pointing the six dogs likely to make it all the way to the final on September 8th.

THIS afternoon, in Louisville, Kentucky, the bell will ring for a week-long birthday party in Muhammad Ali’s honour.

THERE’S this fat ten year old boy whose mother is forced to come to live in the tough black ghetto of Brownsville in Brooklyn in the Seventies.

I’M NOT quite sure why Stoke felt the need to wheel out a rather bemused looking Sugar Ray Leonard prior to kick-off last Saturday.

Mad Rush is the clear favourite for Wednesday’s totesport Ebor after the heavy ground at York saw a number of leading fancies ruled out.

Although Henry Cecil has enjoyed a fair share of Group One success during his illustrious career, it has to be said a victory for Phoenix Tower in the Coral-Eclipse would have pleased the masses.

Amir Khan was showered with superlatives by legendary five-time world champion Sugar Ray Leonard after making a successful American television debut at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

Wales are determined to leave Scotland sprawling on the canvas in Saturday’s heavyweight RBS 6 Nations clash after receiving the ultimate pep talk – from boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard.

BOXING legend, Sugar Ray Leonard, is to visit Ireland in October.

Brendan Mooney

IN the US they are dubbing him “the new Sugar Ray”. The former multi-world champion promotes Bernard Dunne and sees the similarities.

MANAGER Brian Peters was last night going through a list of more than 50 possible opponents for featherweight sensation Ben Dunne after his sensational first round demolition of Oscar Rosales at the Wild Wild West Casino in Oklahoma at the weekend.

BEN DUNNE is just one fight away from the next phase of a professional boxing career that Sugar Ray Leonard predicts will take him to a world title fight following his short route weekend victory over Simon Ramirez.

Irish featherweight Bernard Dunne has been confirmed as the latest recruit to the promotional firm Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing.

BOXER Bernard Dunne has been signed up by Sugar Ray Leonard with the talented Dubliner slated for his first bout in a week in Buffalo, New York.