Two boxing titles up for grabs at National Stadium

The Irish boxing boom continues apace this Saturday with two Irish titles up for grabs on the Ladbrokes.com Fight Night at the National Stadium in Dublin.

Following on from John Duddy's exciting win at a sold-out Kings Hall last weekend, fellow Irish middleweight sensation Andy Lee will go in search of the first title of his career when he contests the vacant Irish super middleweight crown with Jason McKay.

In the second Irish title on the card, Eugene Heagney and Colin Moffett will contest the vacant Irish title at bantamweight.

Promoter Brian Peters believes the night should add up to an early Christmas treat for fight fans.

"Last weekend was a great success, it was a real throwback to the great McGuigan nights at the Kings Hall and John Duddy proved that he's improving all the time with his win over Howard Eastman,” he said.

"This Saturday night is shaping up to be a very interesting one as well. Andy Lee is taking a big step up by facing Jason McKay for the Irish title but his trainer Emanuel Steward believes he's more than ready for it. You can't underestimate Jason though because he's a great record himself, with just one defeat from 19 fights and he's really fired up for this one."

McKay's trainer John Breen believes his man can put an end to Lee's unbeaten run.

Breen said: "The bogeyman_s coming to get Lee this weekend! He hasn't fought anyone yet, Jason will be the first live opponent he's been in with so let's see how he reacts when he has to go into the trenches and dig deep. I know Jason can do that but can Andy?"

Peters is happy to be showcasing another pair of Irish title fights after Andrew Murray and Ciaran Healy picked up the light welterweight and light middleweight belts respectively at the Kings Hall last weekend.

"We have another two Irish titles being contested this weekend so that speaks volumes for the strength of Irish boxing at the moment," said the Meath man.

"Heagney and Moffett were in a mini classic in their first fight in July. That could have gone either way but Heagney just nicked it and I think the rematch could be even better especially with the Irish title on the line."

Saturday's undercard will feature a 'magnificent seven' of prospects all looking to further their already impressive reputations.

The Irish trio of Alo Kelly, Declan Timlin and Michael Sweeney will all be looking to extend their unbeaten records along with English featherweight Paul Truscott and Polish middleweight Lukasz Wawrzyczek.

It will be Wawrzyczek's fourth appearance on Irish soil this year and he's quickly building up a fan base in Ireland and his native Poland. His 10-rounder with British-based puncher George Katsimpas is being televised live on national TV back in Poland.

Dublin fight fans will also be catered for with Talllaght's Eddie Hyland taking part in his first scheduled eight-round contest against Bulgarian veteran Waldimir Borov. A win for Hyland should see him close in on an Irish super featherweight title shot.

Another man looking to put himself into title contention is Galway's John O'Donnell. The London-based boxer's last appearance was on the undercard to Floyd Mayweather's win over Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

However it was not a particularly happy occasion for O'Donnell as he lost his unbeaten record courtesy of a shock first round knockout defeat.

Still only 22 and with a record of 15 wins and just that lone defeat, the Hennessy Sports-promoted southpaw will be looking to get back to winning ways in Dublin.

Tickets for the Ladrokes.com Fight Night, priced from €40, are on sale from www.ticketmaster.ie and all usual outlets. RTÉ 2's live coverage of the Ladbrokes.com Fight Night begins at 9pm on Saturday night.

The full line-up is as follows:

Andy Lee v Jason McKay (vacant Irish super middleweight title - 10 rounds)

Eugene Heagney v Colin Moffett (vacant Irish bantamweight title - 10 rounds)

Lukasz Wawrzyczek v George Katsimpas (middleweight - 10 rounds)

Eddie Hyland v Wladimir Borov (super featherweight - 8 rounds)

Paul Truscott v Nikita Lukin (featherweight - 8 rounds)

John O'Donnell v Artur Jashkul (welterweight - 6 rounds)

Declan Timlin v Aleksandrs Selezens (heavyweight - 6 rounds)

Alo Kelly v Andrei Tolstihs (light heavyweight - 4 rounds)

- Michael Sweeney v Klaids Kristapsons (cruiserweight - 4 rounds)