Hyland takes IBF title in Massachusetts

On the same Celtic Pride boxing show to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, upcoming Irish-American welterweight prospect Danny O’Connor starched Charles Wade in one round to improve to 5-0 [2 KOs], while former Irish amateur champion Gary O’Sullivan [7-0, 5 KOs] defeated local junior middleweight Jimmy Leblanc via fourth round disqualification.

HYLAND TEST
The banger of the three Dublin-reared Hyland brothers who all hold Irish titles, Patrick [16-0, 8 KOs] withstood a bruising test from fellow punch Guevara [12-9-1] to claim the vacant IBF super featherweight belt once held by the legendary Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran.
“I’m magic about him winning it; it’s a fantastic achievement,” gushed Patrick Hyland, Sr., who trains all three of his sons.
Guevara, nine of whose 12 wins have come via stoppage, came out looking to add the younger Hyland to his list of KO victims.
“The first three-four rounds he threw everything to knock Patrick out but Pat weathered the storm,” said Hyland, Sr.
Not only that, but Hyland was also the better boxer and according to his dad, used his ring experience garnered from over 140 amateur bouts to outbox his man.
Hyland added a punishing left hook to his repertoire in the eighth round, attacking Guevara to the body, none to the Nicaraguan’s pleasure. They went toe-to-toe in the tenth and final stanza with the 25 year-old Dubliner getting the nod, 98-92 [twice] and 99-91, when the score cards were read.
“Great performance,” summed up Brian Burk, the upstate New York-based advisor to the Hyland brothers [super featherweight Eddie and super bantamweight Paul are the others].

QUICK KO
Danny O’Connor’s second fight in two weeks lasted less than three minutes. The highly touted 23 year-old out of Framingham, Mass., had Philly journeyman Charles Wade [4-9, 1 KO] on the floor from a right hook to the ribs after the first bell.
Wade beat the count but was decked again by a double right hook to the body and head, upon which his corner threw in the towel.
“It was great,’ O’Connor, now 5-0 with two KOs, said.
The former U.S. Olympic alternate, a majority points winner over Jamar Saunders in Florida on February 27, was fighting in his home state for the first time.

FOE SPIKED
Cork native Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan, shamrock designs shaved into his hair, found himself in a clinch fest against Jimmy Leblanc that ended with the latter’s disqualification.
Evidently wary of the big punching O’Sullivan’s power, Leblanc sought to smother his man and was docked points in rounds two, three and the fourth itself before the ref waved it off.

LEE OPPONENT
Alex Sipos, who sparred with Andy Lee before his last fight, will square off with the Limerick southpaw for real at The O2 in Dublin this Saturday.
The German [19-5-2, 9 KOs] steps in after the cancellation of Irish Ropes’ “Erin Go Brawl II] show scuttled Lee’s bout with three-time world title challenge Antwun Echols.
“It’s an interesting match-up because Sipos gave a very good account of himself when he challenged for the European title in Finland,” promoter Brian Peters said, referring to Sipos’ points loss to Finn Amin Asikainen back in October 2006.
In the main event at The O2, Bernard Dunne makes history when he becomes the first ever Dubliner to fight for a world title in his home town. He’ll be gunning for Panamanian Ricardo Cordoba’s WBA super bantamweight crown.