Duddy set to make 2006 a real knock-out

RISING Irish middleweight star John Duddy has rounded off 2005 in perfect style and is destined for greater things in 2006, his manager believes.

Mayo man Eddie McLoughlin has guided 26-year-old Duddy to an unblemished start to life in the professional ranks from his Irish Ropes gym on Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York. The Derryman notched up his 14th win in as many fights last Thursday night when he earned a technical knockout win over Wilmer Mejia, a late replacement for his Dominican compatriot Emiliano Cayetano, after three rounds of their bout at the Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood, Florida.

It was his 13th victory by stoppage, explosive form that has seen Duddy attract a loyal following of Irish expatriates in New York, up to 300 of whom followed their hero south for the fight.

McLoughlin is looking to spread the word further in 2006 and will take Duddy either to Boston, Philadelphia or Las Vegas for a fight in the new year before headlining an Irish Ropes promotion at the Madison Square Garden Theatre on March 16 and following that, McLoughlin envisages a fight on home soil in the North during the summer on the way to his man earning a world top-10 ranking by this time next year.

“John has had an absolutely classic year,” McLoughlin said. “We were never worried about his offence but we were a little bit concerned about his defence and that’s been improving and improving all year. We want to give him six or seven fights next year and I think by this time next year he will be in the top 10 rankings with most if not all of the organisations.”

Against Mejia on Thursday night, Duddy dominated his man from the bell with a series of quick, sharp combinations. With only four defeats in 21 fights going into this bout, Mejia was no mug but anything he threw at Duddy was negated by that rapidly improving defensive work and fast hand speed.

It was all too much for Mejia and at the end of the third round he failed to rise from his stool for the start of the fourth, complaining of a hand injury.

“A victory is a victory, I’ll take it,” said Duddy, who delayed his return from Florida to take a short pre-Christmas break in the sun.

McLoughlin, though, was considerably more satisfied with Duddy’s performance.

“In my opinion that was the most impressive of his 14 fights. He barely got hit, his movement was brilliant and he was up against a southpaw, which made it more slippery for John. These are the guys we want to face. Putting John in with guys who are going to trade punches toe to toe is no good to anybody because I’d back John 99.9% of the time against those guys. We need him to work hard to win the rounds and if the knockout comes then great.”

McLoughlin had lined up former world light-middleweight champion Luis Ramon ‘Yory Boy’ Campas for March 16, a 34-year-old Mexican with 71 knockouts and only eight defeats in a 95-fight pro career. Campas has been in the ring with some class acts, knocking down Felix Trinidad in an IBF Welterweight title fight in 1994 and facing Oscar De La Hoya in 2003 and is the current North American middleweight champion. However, Duddy’s manager said a date with Campas could wait, given the demand for tickets was already high for the Garden on the eve of St Patrick’s Day.

“It’s a definite go and it will be great. I was talking to the people at the Garden today and sorting out a few financial arrangements, but it’s a done deal and on the road to happening.

“We had originally planned to meet Yory Boy Campas then, but I think we’ll go for a New York State title instead. Campos is a very big name and I don’t think we need him for that show. It will be Paddy’s Day weekend and John will be going for a title so it will be a big night anyway. But we’ll definitely be fighting Campas over the course of the year.”

McLoughlin is already in talks to take Duddy home for a fight in Ireland in 2006, and sat down in Florida last week with Belfast trainer John Breen to discuss a summer fight in the North.

But the Irish Ropes boss said any homecoming plans would be put on the back burner if pay TV giants HBO or Showtime came knocking.

“We’d love to go to Ireland, absolutely, but God only knows what will pop up after the Garden show. John’s attracting the TV guys and we’re in a business. If HBO call us to put John Duddy on one of their cards, that takes precedence, but we’re definitely not ruling out a fight in Ireland.”