The Derry Destroyer’s first fight in eight months will be on the under card of Miguel Cotto’s scrap with British welterweight Michael Jennings for the vacant WBO welterweight title. Bob Arum’s Top Rank are the promoters.
It will also be Duddy’s first outing since his split from the McLoughlin brothers’ Irish Ropes Promotions.
Will he be ready for the busy Matt Vanda [39-8, 22 KOs] after less than four weeks of training State-side?
“Oh yes. Of course I’ll be ready,” Duddy told the Echo from Miami in a phone interview.
Duddy said he had been training in Derry with his father, Mickey, a former professional fighter, and Charlie Nash, the Irish amateur legend and long time associate of the senior Duddy.
“I was fortunate to have my dad and Charlie Nash back home and now I’m here and looking forward to three hard weeks of training, and then putting on a great show at Madison Square Garden,” Duddy said.
Earlier, trainer Pat Burns also offered reassurances that the undefeated Duddy [25-0, 17 KOs] would be ready for Vanda, a 30 year-old out of St. Paul, Minnesota who goes by the nickname “Predator.”
“John’s always in excellent condition,” Burns said. “He’ll be ready, that’s not a problem.”
Hired last May to replace Don Turner, Burns has planned three to four days of hard training before Duddy begins sparring.
Vanda was on several occasions tapped to fight Duddy while he was with Irish Ropes, but the bout never came off. At one time he was to square off with Duddy in the 2007 St. Patrick’s Day show at Madison Square Garden’s small arena but lost to Anthony Bonsante a couple of months earlier.
Bonsante got the nod and succumbed to Duddy on a technical decision after nine rounds.
Duddy is coming off the longest layoff of his six-year professional career for the Vanda fight.
He outpointed Charles Howe over ten rounds in Boston last June, but then saw his career put on hold when he filed to sever ties with Irish Ropes and manager Tony McLoughlin.
Duddy’s lawsuits against both are pending.