Dunne determined to tame Thai

HE went to the gates of hell to win it and Bernard Dunne is not prepared to even consider relinquishing his WBA world super bantamweight belt in his first defence against Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym from Thailand when they touch gloves at the O2 on Dublin’s Dockside tonight.

The fight has all the ingredients for another thriller and one has to admit that if this fight was being staged outside Ireland, then the challenger would be the red hot favourite but home advantage can swing this for the Dubliner, as it did last March when he went in against Ricardo Cordoba as the rank outsider.

Poonsawat will come forward for all 12 rounds tonight and should provide Dunne with a perfect target for his trademark left hook which his trainer, Harry Hawkins, insists is stronger than ever before.