Dunne lands world title shot
“It’s the dream I have had since I was five years of age. I have always wanted to be a world champion and now I have that opportunity,” the 28-year-old Dubliner said yesterday.
What is reputed to be the biggest deal in the history of Irish boxing was hammered out at lunchtime on Christmas day. That evening Dunne postponed his Christmas dinner and went for a long run to begin his build-up to the fight.
Peters did not reveal details of the deal other than to say it was expensive, but Cordoba’s promoter, Richard Dobal, said it was the champions biggest payday to date.
The Panamanian southpaw won the title last November with a landslide victory over Luis Alberto Perez after his fellow-countryman Celestino Caballero was named ‘Super Champion’ when he unified the titles.
“They call Caballero the best in the world, but he is not even the best super bantamweight in Panama,” said Cordoba, who put Caballero on the floor in the 11th round en route to victory on the only occasion they met. Caballero has been avoiding him ever since.
A five time amateur champion of Panama, Cordoba has been punching his way around the world since he was a 16-year-old — he is now just 24 — and he has two dubious draws and one inexplicable loss on his card.
The two draws came in Germany when he challenged Ukranian Wladimir Sidorenko for the WBA bantamweight title — a boxer on contract in Germany just does not lose — and his loss came in Thailand when he fought Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym for the same title which he lost that on a split decision. The only non-Asian judge awarded Cordoba the fight by a massive margin of seven points.
His promoter, Richard Dobal admitted yesterday Dunne was only their third choice when it came to a first defence of the title.
His first approach was to Kiko Martinez, who stripped Dunne of the European belt in a sensational first-round stoppage the year before last but Martinez did not want to know.
He then contacted Frank Maloney who manages the reigning European champion, Rendall Munroe, who took the title from Martinez.
“He never got back on to me,” Dobal said. “Bernard Dunne was the third choice because I knew he would be a difficult opponent. I had seen him spar at Freddie Roach’s Wildcard Gym in the United States.
“We know about his sparring with Manny Pacquiao while he was in Los Angeles and we know he was more than capable of holding Pacquiao and that tells you everything you want to know about him.
“He is one of the few European fighters who went to the US to learn the trade — Joe Calzaghe should have been the Welsh champion and not the world champion because you had to go to Wales to fight him.”
Brian Peters once promised Bernard Dunne he would take him to a world title and he now believes that Dunne can claim his destiny by becoming Ireland’s next world champion.
“From the first time I saw Bernard as an amateur I believed he was destined to be a world champion. It’s been a long road but where better for that dream to become reality than at the new O2 in his hometown.”
Dunne cringes every time the Martinez debacle is mentioned but that loss was a setback on his road to a world title shot.
“But, let’s face it, maybe Bernard was not ready for a world title shot at that particular time,” his trainer, Harry Hawkins said. “I honestly think it was a blessing in disguise.
“After that we made some adjustments. We brought in a strength and condition coach, Mike McGurn, and the improvements training with him have brought about are dramatic if not sensational even though they have only been working together for a year and a half.”
There is a precedent for an Irishman beating a Panamanian in a WBA world title fight. In 1985 Barry McGuigan captured the famous belt and the hearts of a nation when he dethroned long reigning world featherweight champ, Eusebio Pedroza, on a memorable night at Loftus Road.
Cordoba, however, insisted that history will not repeat itself. Pedroza, Roberto Duran and all the other Panamanian greats have tutored him in the past.
“Pedroza was a great fighter and a hero of mine and he has given me advice in the past but Eusebio Pedroza was Eusebio Pedroza, Ricardo Cordoba is Ricardo Cordoba,” he said.
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