Hyland hopes Las Vegas gamble pays

Despite the lofty reputation of Irish boxing wherever there happens to be a ring and a bell, if undefeated Tallaght featherweight Patrick ‘The Punisher’ Hyland wins in Las Vegas on Saturday night, he would join a small and exclusive club of world champions.

Hyland, a Shamrock Rovers supporter with 27 wins and 12 KOs, is based in New York and made a splash with his two brothers earlier this year when all three made their US debuts in Atlantic City in January as part of a new promotions outfit fronted by one of the more notorious reality television stars of this decade, Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi.

If at first it seemed like a joke and a cheap way of using Irishness to sell a fight night, it slowly became apparent that there was a deeper legitimacy. For one, Hyland along with super featherweight Eddie and super bantamweight Paul, were fighting on the same professional card for the first time, a nice touch that overdid the gimmicky nature of the event.