McCullough not ready to fight Dunne, says promoter

Promoter Brian Peters believes that Wayne McCullough is still some way from a crack at newly-crowned WBA World Super Bantamweight champion Bernard Dunne.

McCullough sent an open letter to Dunne yesterday challenging him to put his new title on the line against him in an all-Irish World title fight.

However, with McCullough just months away from his 39th birthday and coming off three straight defeats, Peters believes that the proposed bout is a long way from reality.

“Wayne’s a good friend and he’s been a great servant to Irish boxing as well as a great world champion,” said Peters. “However he hasn’t won a fight since 2004 so he really would need to put together a few good wins including a win over a ranked contender before it could be considered a viable fight.”

Peters says that no firm decisions have been made yet with regard to Bernard’s next fight and all options are currently being explored.

“At the moment Bernard is taking a well-earned break and enjoying his success,” said Peters.

“It was an incredible fight and an incredible night and we’re certainly not short of options now.

“As I said after the fight the world is his oyster and there are all kinds of avenues open to us now. It’s a case of taking our time and working out what the best move is but we certainly won’t rush into anything.”

“Obviously now that Bernard’s become a World Champion he’s in a very strong position. The dream fight would be a big Las Vegas showdown with Israel Vazquez. He’s currently sidelined with a few long-term injuries but is considered one of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport.

“It’s a clash Bernard would relish as he sparred Vazquez day in, day out as a young pro when he was out in Los Angeles and I think those sparring sessions proved to a lot of people that Bernard had what it takes to reach the very top of the sport.

“You also have guys like Celestino Caballero calling Bernard out. He says he’d be willing to come to Ireland so right now there are a lot of options to consider including the possibility of a voluntary defence for Bernard at home in Dublin.”

Peters has also warned of an even scarier prospect for the World’s super bantamweights.

“I still believe we’ve yet to see the best of Bernard Dunne, he proved last Saturday night that he belongs up there with the legends of Irish sport and I still think there is more to come from him over the next few years.”