Walsh gets shot at Irish title

BILLY WALSH will find himself fighting for an Irish title after just a handful of professional bouts when he takes on the experienced James Gorman for the vacant light welterweight title at Neptune Stadium in Cork on January 26.

While this will be the third professional show in Cork in just 12 months it will be the first at Neptune Stadium since Olympic silver medallist Shawn O’Sullivan’s dramatic victory over Pat McDowell back in 1985 — a highlight of the Cork 800 celebrations.

And Walsh can’t wait to get it going. Yesterday at his base, the Midleton Fitness Centre, he had custody of the belt — but it came with a warning from Gorman to look after it as he would be coming to collect it on January 26.

That did not go down well with the Shanagarry man who predicted an early end to the contest.

“This will be my first 10-round contest but I don’t see it going beyond three,” he said. “If it does I will be ready for that too.”

The show is being promoted by Walsh’s trainer, Paschal Collins, who was quick to point out that, while he is involved with Celtic Pride in the US, he is a not a promoter and this is just a deviation from his day job which is training boxers.

“I am not in this business to make money. I’m in it to make champions,” he said. “But Billy is special and the reason I am doing this is because I feel he is now ready to fight for a title.

“The last two shows in Cork were promoted by Gary Hyde and, while I have been getting a lot of help from him with this promotion, I would hope to see him back promoting big time boxing in the southern capital in the near future.”

Collins’ relationship with Billy Walsh came out of a chance meeting in Boston where he met the Corkman who, incidentally, was born in Providence, on a street corner.

“He had two suitcases and a piece of paper with a name and a telephone number on it,” he recalled. “As it happened I knew the man he was looking for. I asked Billy if he had anywhere to stay and he had not. I rang Kevin McBride who was training for the Tyson fight and he told me he could accommodate him. Things developed from there.”

“To be honest I had not boxed for 10 years and I was trying to get things back together for one last effort,” said Walsh who had not donned a glove since his failed attempt to make it to the Atlanta Olympics.

He had won a thrilling final with fellow Corkman Seanie Barrett (Rylane) in the senior championships the previous year but lost his title to a new kid on the block, Francis Barrett, in 1996 and the rest is history. Ironically Seanie Barrett deprived Francie of a second Olympics when he stripped him of the title four years later.

Kevin McBride caused a sensation when he ended Mike Tyson’s career under the reluctant stewardship of Paschal Collins.

Brother of the former undefeated WBO world middle and super middleweight champion, Steve Collins, Paschal made a dramatic professional debut on that memorable night in the Green Glens Arena in Millstreet.

He was still battling his way across the US when he met McBride who said he had a chance of a shot at Tyson and asked him if he would train him.

“I knew that if I agreed it would be the end of my own boxing career,” he said. “I went away and thought about it and decided to give it a go and Kevin beat Tyson.”

Billy Walsh had a dream televised debut and has not lost a contest since. His first big fight in Ireland was a gruelling affair against a teak tough Greek by the name of Rocky Mucas on a Bernard Dunne undercard and, since then he has had two wins in Cork City Hall to woo the home fans.

And he promised yesterday they will not be disappointed at Neptune Stadium when he climbs in against the experienced Belfast-based pro, James Gorman.

Gorman won on the Gary Hyde bill in Cork last February and he appeared to have the measure of his man on the under-card to John Duddy at the King’s Hall earlier this month when the fight was stopped on a cut eye and the decision went against him. He will not be lacking fitness for this one.

“I know he is very experienced — he has had more fights than me — but I am stronger than I have ever been. I have been working hard with Barry Mulcahy and his team and with my brother, Kevin, here at the Midleton Fitness Centre. They have me in top shape and I have faith in Paschal (Collins). If he did not think I was ready to fight he would not allow me to fight.

“I am delighted with the opportunity to fight in Cork once again and, even though there has not been a whole lot of publicity about the fight, I was amazed with the interest that it has generated already.”

“You can always expect that from a great sporting public in Cork,” Collins insisted. “There has always been a huge following for boxing in a city that has produced it’s own fair share of legends. But I think this is the first time that there has been a fight for an Irish professional title in the city and that makes the difference.”