Dunne ready for crowning glory

BERNARD DUNNE wants to win the world title, not just for himself but for all of Ireland, and he insisted yesterday he is in the best shape of his life and ready to strip Ricardo Cordoba of his WBA Super Bantamweight crown on Saturday night.

Yesterday the Dubliner went head to head with the champion and said he is convinced he can make Irish boxing history at The O2 by becoming the first Dublin fighter to win a world title in his home city.

Dunne, a three-time Irish champion as an amateur, has been clamouring for a world title shot since returning to his roots to box under the Brian Peters mantle and is ready now for his date with destiny.

“I’m in absolutely great shape, by far the best of my life, and I’m absolutely buzzing for this fight,” he said.

“This is the top step on the ladder. Ricardo Cordoba is a technically brilliant fighter and a great mover, we all know that, but I’m ready to put in the performance of my life.

“People say: ‘Are you nervous?’, but what they don’t realise is that these are the fights I want, these are the challenges I need. These are the fights you really get excited about.

“He’s the world champion and I’m the guy who wants to become the world champion, so I’m the one who’s rarin’ to go. I’m champing at the bit. The less expectation that’s put on me, the less pressure I’m under.

“I’m in fantastic shape and the more his camp think this is going to be a handy fight, the more they underestimate me, the more they’re going to be surprise and that suits me just fine.

“I really feel this is going to be a fantastic occasion for Irish boxing — and hopefully especially for myself. It’s going to be a full house on the night and it’s great that the public are coming out to the extent that they are. It’s going to be a truly fantastic atmosphere.

“You hope all your life that a world title shot will happen. But then when it finally comes about, yes, there is a bit of disbelief about it.

“I think that has been one of my main attributes over the last decade or so, the fact that I have always been focused on exactly what I wanted to do and what I wanted to achieve.

“It has certainly been the hardest training camp I have ever had but it has also been the quickest, because when you put in so much work, then the time just flies — the next few days, in fact, are probably going to be the slowest part of it.

“I take encouragement from how I have been feeling and looking in the gym and the work I have put in,” he said.

“The encouragement comes from how I have prepared and how my last few fights have gone. This fight is going to present a whole different scenario to anything I’ve ever had before ... but I’m ready for it.

“Cordoba is a fantastic fighter and I have the height of respect for him — but I’m looking forward to getting into that ring with him and dealing with him on Saturday night.

“As far as I’m concerned, the blip against Martinez has taken all the pressure off me. Cordoba is the one who has everything to lose here (his world title), while I have everything to gain.

“Every fight I’ve had before has been part of the build-up to this — this is the culmination of all the years I’ve put into boxing.”

His trainer, Harry Hawkins, has no doubt that Dunne is ready for his big test. “We’ve known about this fight since Christmas and Bernard has been in all-out training since the beginning of the year,” he said.

“He has been locked away in Belfast for nine weeks now, and I’m sure all that frustration about being away from home will come out on Saturday night. He’s really looking forward to it. In fact, it can’t come quick enough for him, and he’s determined to be crowned world champion.”

Meanwhile Andy Lee yesterday took another swipe at John Duddy’s former management team, Irish Ropes. He was scheduled to have fought three-time world title challenger Antwun Echols in the main event on Monday at Madison Square Garden, but Irish Ropes pulled the plug on the show 10 days beforehand.

“Those guys should never be allowed promote again,” the Limerick southpaw said. “They didn’t even have the decency to tell us the show was off. We heard about it when a guy rang up my manager and trainer, Manny Steward, basically slagging us that there was no show.

“They did tell us on the Thursday evening, 10 days before the show, but by that stage we’d heard from three or four sources, and not from them.

“Okay, I have an alternative fight now, but what about all the other guys who were supposed to be on the card and who’d trained for months? They’ll get no compensation.”