Donegal’s Jason Quigley lights up Las Vegas

Such is the nature of Las Vegas undercards, early fights can be fought in front of a basically empty arena. So, but for a vociferous band of travelling Irish, Jason Quigley’s masterclass performance against James De La Rosa was seen, in person, by very few.

But, after completely outclassing his experienced opponent - and winning every round on all three judges’ scorecards, the Donegal native has vowed to become a star attraction so bright he fills arenas like this T-Mobile Arena on his own.

This 10-round fight against De La Rosa, four years older and a veteran of 16 more fights than him, was a significant step up but Quigley made it look like anything but. In fact, the 24-year-old was disappointed not to stop the Mexico-born middleweight on a night he described as ‘the real start’ to his professional career.

He was backed by his friends, family and fans inside the brand-new 20,000-seater, set just off the Vegas strip. Now he has his sights set on becoming the reason for thousands of his compatriots to make the trip across the Atlantic. “This is only the start,” he said. “I’m going to fill places like this with Irish people and I am going to light this place up green, white and orange. I want to give back to the people of Ireland, the fans that have followed me and given me support. I’ve had my uncle and my uncle in law have come over to fights before but his was the first time the rest of my family have come and watched me as a pro.

“It was unbelievable having them here. There is a lot of Irish here in Orange County in Huntingdon Beach in The Irishman bar. They all came out here to support me.”

Quigley’s fight was part of the undercard for Amir Khan’s unsuccessful challenge for Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s middleweight title, which ended with one of the most chilling knock-outs in recent memory. At 11-0, Quigley is still some way off a world title shot, but he was a keen observer as the main event pair clashed at the pinnacle of his weight class.

He added: “This win tonight doesn’t mean I’m going to go out and fight for a title straight away, I’ve still got a lot of learning to do and a lot of experience to gain. I’m still only 24 and that’s only my 11th fight. Everything is moving perfectly, we don’t need to rush things.

“This was a step up and now I won’t take a backwards step. I will be staying at this level now and I proved I belong here. Hopefully, I can get higher and higher. It’s all about getting that exposure and fan base. I’m here to become the best, fulfil my dream by becoming a world champion.”