February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The bout, at the Westchester County Center, will also mark Duddy’s debut as an eight-round fighter.
In Vaughan, a super middleweight out of Houston who stepped in after two other opponents pulled out, the explosive-punching Duddy faces an intriguing challenge.
Apart from being the naturally bigger man, the Texan brings an impressive 8-1-1 (4 KOs) ledger to the fight.
“John is in tip-top shape and absolutely ready and raring to go,” co-promoter Eddie McLoughlin said last week.
Still, McLoughlin, one of the undefeated Duddy’s mentors, expects the 34-year-old Vaughan to offer some resistance before capitulating in the late rounds to the Derry Destroyer, who’s knocked out every foe he’s faced.
“It will be a test and will definitely go past four rounds,” he said. “But I think John takes him out in six or seven rounds.”
Duddy himself offered no prediction but promised not to disappoint his many fans, more than 500 of whom had snapped up advance tickets by last week.
“A lot of tickets have been sold and a lot of people will be there,” he said. “I hope that I can put up a fitting performance for them.”
The 25-year-old sensation, whose last bout was a fifth-round TKO of Glen Dunnings in Brooklyn last December, said he’d trained hard for the fight and was in great shape.
“I’m ready for eight hard rounds and looking forward to making a good start to the new year,” Duddy said.
McLOUGHLIN’S DELIGHT
“This is very exciting for all of us,” so enthused McLoughlin as he talked about his first venture into the promotional side of boxing. “I’m tickled pink and over the moon.”
McLoughlin’s Irish Ropes Promotions is co-promoting Friday night’s show in White Plains but has plans of organizing its own events down the line, with Duddy as its marquee name.
“I’m very lucky to have gotten involved with John,” McLoughlin said. “His talent and the interest that he brings should put me in the big league sooner rather than later.
“I’m getting a lot of [feelers] from other established promoters who would like to co-promote John with me.”
The budding impresario, who also runs the Far Rockaway-based Irish Ropes Gym, said his promotional outfit would be a big boost for Irish boxing.
O’MALLEY STOPPED
Martin O’Malley suffered a sixth-round TKO loss to hard-hitting Rafael Ortiz in their North Western Boxing Association junior welterweight title match at the Lucky Eagle Casino in Rochester, Wash., last Saturday.
Ortiz took the fight to O’Malley from the second round and closed the show 21 seconds into the sixth, when he punched the County Wicklow-raised fighter through the ropes.
O’Malley, who was coming off a second-round KO by now WBA titlist Juan Diaz last April, saw his record fall to 21-4-1 (14 KOs). Ortiz improved to 10-5-1 (10 KOs).