McBride world title talks under way

PASCAL COLLINS, co-trainer of Kevin McBride, has told Newstalk106 that discussions are taking place about a world title shot for the Clones man.

"There's two options we can take, we can fight Vladimir Klitschko for the WBC belt or John Ruiz for the WBA belt, that's the two belts to talk about right now. We would opt for the WBA belt, because Ruiz is a Bostonian and I think it would be a great fight in the Boston fleet centre for an Irishman in Boston and an Hispanic fighter in Boston."

Collins believes now is the time for McBride to take full advantage of his newly-found fame.

"Now is the time to fight John Ruiz. Hopefully by the end of this week, if not next week, we would have something ready for late September early October. We can't let Kevin rest on his laurels, he's got a week off and then's he's straight back into the gym. We'd like to get back sooner but he got 15 stitches after the fight and he injured his arm because Tyson tried to break it."

However, according to his former manager, Frank Maloney, McBride does not deserve a world-title shot.

Maloney, who managed McBride early in his professional career, has urged him to enjoy his 15 minutes of fame while it lasts.

"It is a great victory for him, it will help his pedigree but I do not believe it warrants a world-title fight," Maloney said.

"I was pleased for Kevin, obviously, because I worked with him from scratch. But people can get carried away with this victory. You have actually got to put it in perspective and look at the Mike Tyson that stepped into the ring and realise that Mike Tyson has not got it.

"Something is wrong there and the people who train Mike Tyson should be asking themselves questions because they must have seen what he was like at the time."

Indeed, the fact that Tyson is fighting purely for money he is massively in debt is no secret and the ferocity for which the New Yorker used to be renowned was nowhere to be seen.

"Anyone who can stand in the ring with Mike Tyson for two to three rounds beats him, because it just seems he does not want to fight after that. I watched the fight live on television and Tyson hardly threw a punch in the first round.

"At the same time you have to give it to McBride because everybody was writing him off and he did what he said he would do.

"I would not class him (McBride) as world class. The fight reminded me of two club fighters fighting, two ordinary domestic heavyweights."