Belfast’s busiest promoter, Mark Dunlop, has big plans for one of his top talents. The small-hall show king believes that his charge, Irish light middleweight champ Dee Walsh, has world title potential.

Walsh fights next month at the Europa Hotel in a six round fight against Burundian journeyman Simone Lucas [8(1)-26(6)-4], however Dunlop has massive plans for after the October 17th bout.

Speaking to Andy Watters of the Irish News, Dunlop outlined his route for the stylish boxer. He revealed that “over the past few weeks I’ve been offered a WBO Inter-Continental title fight for Dee which we will take.”

“He’ll be in the mix of fighters coming through – the likes of Jimmy Kilrain Kelly and Gary Cochrane – and I believe he’ll beat any one of them.”

“It’ll be a real big stern test and if he makes it then the world is his oyster.”

Dunlop is hugely confident that ‘Waldo’ has the ability to go all the way, reasoning that “no-one has laid a glove on him in 12 fights – and him and James Tennyson are at exactly the same stage Carl Frampton was at when he was at 12-13 fights.”

Indeed, Walsh could be becoming a household name sooner rather than later, with Dunlop claiming that “Dee is on the conveyor belt that hopefully should end up with a world title shot and I’ve told him he could be five fights away from a world title”.

“We’ll all know whether he’s ready for the next level by Christmas or soon after it because, barring injuries, he will be in a major fight.”