Dunne feels Ireland have earned some respect

Richard Dunne wasn’t at The Point in March, 2007 when Bernard Dunne defeated Yersin Jailauov by TKO but the thoughts of how some of his Irish team-mates were booed by sections of the crowd still rings in his ears.

Ireland had beaten Wales in the first ever soccer match played at Croke Park the day before but it was an ugly win and one that couldn’t erase the stain of the 5-2 defeat in Nicosia five months before or the hairy 2-1 escape from San Marino.

Ireland’s cricketers had shocked Pakistan in the World Cup a week before. Eddie O’Sullivan’s free-scoring rugby team had missed out on a Six Nations title on points difference the same day. Dunne was boxing’s golden boy.