Anthony Fitzgerald vs Eamonn O'Kane

From the Irish Boxing thread:

:good

 

Punt away...

http://www.boxingforum24.com/showthread.php?t=483533

 

O'Kane is also Irish...he's just technically a different nationality.

The venue is actually equidistant from Fitz's hometown and O'Kane's...

 

I think will be 50/50 in terms of support and the fight itself also.
But if you wanted to take a bet, the value is with Fitzgerald on this one.
Well worth a fun amount but don't put your mortgage on it.:rasta

 

Our resident micks could better answer that, but I'd suspect it not to be anywhere near the landslide it would be were this in Dublin.

O'Kane is from the same neck of the woods as Paul McCloskey, and that fellow "Brit" is plenty well liked in the South (having alternated between countries more or less evenly throughout his career and drawn a loyal following in both, along with a smattering of dates in England and Scotland) and in fact is childhood mates with "Dudey". They are now under the same trainer and managerial banner as of last year, so it's even possible McCloskey will be in his corner for support which can only help.

Then again, Fitz has the in-ring style and sort of working class rough around the edges feel that is nigh irresistible to any stripe of boxing nut - let alone Irish. So it could be that even in Dungiven the majority's sympathies would be with him and not the wayward former amateur standout.

 

He began slugging for starters, and to compound that it didn't help to be tossed in with a tricky southpaw in Ryder who could make him miss with sleight-of-corpus in the pocket and then butterfly fillet him with uninhibited counter left uppercuts as Eamonn watched his wide hooks bounce off the Londoner's shoulders. That was an unflattering look - as was the PF tourney despite ultimately taking its crown. That format makes some thrive & look good and others, not so much.

 

Supposedly he worked out the kinks with his new trainer against Boulden in what he said he considers a terrible performance in a recent interview, but feels they're really clicking now and feels confident he won't lose a round to Fitz having watched their last encounter a few times and determining everything has been patched up that needs to be.

 

Fitzgerald will have good support from Dublin, as will O'Kane from Derry, the neutrals will probably mostly side with O'Kane. While Fitzgerald in the ring is a very entertaining fighter, and therefore should be a fan favourite, he hasn't always come across that well outside of it and has sometimes come across as arrogant and delusional.
For that reason quite a lot of Irish boxing fans were hoping Andy Lee would spark him out.....however that didn't happen, Fitzgerald gave a very good performance, and tbh I haven't heard too much negative comments made about him since, so maybe people have come around to Fitzgerald a bit.

I'm expecting a really close bout, with not much in it. I reckon O'Kane will take the early rounds, but Fitzgerald will come on in the mid and late rounds and for me will do just enough to take the fight. But who knows, it really is 50/50, which is what makes fights like this so great.

 

:good

No chance of it being televised or legally streamed anywhere, eh? (I've not seen anything on it, so haven't gotten my hopes up)

 

No the card is untelevised unfortunately. Irish tv stations aren't interested in boxing :-(, and there's no stream in place as far as I'm aware either.