Fitzgerald and Byrne claim Irish victories
Irish super-middleweight champion Anthony Fitzgerald treated himself to a six-round beating of Belfast’s Phil Townley as part of the deep DolPhil undercard. It was a testament to Townley’s durability that he lasted the distance and despite possessing limited ability Phil took his lumps and kept on coming.
The man called “Irish Pride” began hammering Townley’s torso from the get-go, showing his continuing improvement and increased attacking arsenal. It became a one-sided affair as early as the second-round with Fitz digging in his right hook to the body with serious intent. A cut on the hairline and a grimace on the face showed the torture Townley was enduring and ref Paul McCullagh could have justified calling it off at any point from the fifth round.
It was a good workout for Fitzgerald and Townley (below) deserves credit for lasting the distance against all the odds. Domestic rival Ciaran Healy, who Fitzgerald narrowly outpointed for his title in February, was scathing of this fight taking place and insisted he should have been in the opposite corner for a rematch opportunity. That fight could yet happen down the line but Anthony already has his next fight booked – a rubber match with Robbie Long on September 11 which promises to be a cracker.
Returning to his homeland after competing abroad this far in his career, former quality amateur Dean Byrne teamed up with his Crumlin boxing team to deliver a knockout performance. Latvian Konstantins Sakara was never likely to offer anything more than stubborn resistance and it was no great surprise when the compact, talented Byrne (white shorts) smashed Sakara's body to pieces in the fourth round.
Sakara was as rugged as Byrne was classy, trying to get into the fight but finding his efforts met by a constant stream of jabs and combinations. The away man’s nose bled from the second-round as the methodical Byrne broke him down gradually. The Latvian was wilting by the third with Dean smothering his work a little; it became untidy but the end was nigh.
In what turned out to be the final round of a scheduled six, Byrne caught Sakara with a hook to the body and he crumpled in the corner. It looked like the visitor wanted to go home there and then but referee Emile Tiedt coaxed him into continuing. It was futile and seconds later a carbon copy body punch had him over again and Tiedt signalled the end. Quite how far Byrne can go remains to be seen, but pre-fight press releases linked him with Andy Murray and if he keeps improving that could make for a tasty domestic showdown.
Charismatic Dublin welterweight Gavin Prunty (pictured left) leaves quite an impression on the fight crowd, with his flashy demeanour, rope-jumping escapades and impressively ripped torso. The now 3-1 novice can fight a bit too but had to contend with a man equally adept at showboating in the ring – East Ham’s ubiquitous survivor Johnny Greaves.
Greaves kidded Prunty all the way through but the home fighter showed good patience and plenty of authority in his punches as he tried to pin down the fleeing southpaw. Johnny suffered a cut to the scalp while Prunty’s nose bled in the last round. Gavin showed good basics and an improved repertoire as he took a fairly comfortable 40-36 verdict on Paul McCullagh’s card.
Finbarr “The Rock” Eade delighted his vociferous following with a first-round KO of hapless journeyman Nikolajs Jasenko. Eade only had one professional contest to his name before this outing and is fast approaching his twilight years. He never let Jasenko off the hook from the opening bell, peppering him with hooks and rapid fire assaults until Emile Tiedt halted matters at 2:10 of the opener. Veteran Finbarr (below) will have to get more active if he is to make an impact at title level.
Galway middleweight Alan Donnellan also made his second showing as a pro, outpointing Lester Walsh over four rounds. Alan took a 40-38 verdict on Tiedt’s scorecard but a draw would not have been unfair to game Walsh who found a home for his right hand on more than one occasion. The same thing happened when Donnellan debuted in Limerick against Walsh’s stablemate Ryan Clark in May, meaning Alan will have to tighten up defensively.
Donnellan did, however show moments of class throughout the bout and slotted a tasty uppercut in between the guard on occasions. He was blowing hard by the second round though (never a good sign) and his hands dropped low enough to invite Walsh in to land his shots. Trainer Carl Greaves manned Lester’s corner but was unable to inspire his man to victory in a good show-opening scrap.
