“Mad” Kenneth Egan prepared for tough fight with the ‘Ugandan Mayweather’
Kenneth Egan‘s ring return will be exhibition in name only claims the Irish fight legend.
The National Stadium’s favourite son returns to the squared circle in Uganda this coming Saturday night and trades leather in a ‘Rumble in The Jungle’ fight night to raise funds for Nurture Africa.
The clash plays out in a 4000-seater arena, the Big Zone, in Nansana and has generated massive attention locally, but is purely an exhibition encounter.
However, Egan believes the man in the opposite corner won’t care what label has been set to define the bout.
The current Dublin County Councillor and 2008 Olympic silver medal winner takes on Joey Vegas, an Athens Olympian who fought as a pro as recently as May and boasts a respectable 20(13)-15(9)-2 record having mixed it with some huge names – and Egan believes the all-or-nothing puncher will be all out to delight the local crowd.
Indeed 2002 Commonwealth silver medalist Vegas has never been defeated on home soil and has promised to “teach this young man boxing because I am Uganda’s Mayweather.”
“I must be mad but it’s exciting,” Egan told the Clondalkin Echo.
“If you look at this record, with lots of wins and losses, he is a kind of a kamikaze fighter and goes for it every time.”
“He won’t hold back. I am a little nervous to be honest, but it’s good to have that, a target to drive me on and something to look forward to.”
The former amateur hero has always kept in shape, but while he has increased his training for this clash hasn’t put in a traditional camp.
The ten-time Senior champion has spent time sparring with the likes of Tony Browne and Stevie Collins Jr
Describing his prep, the Neilstown man outlined how “I usually do weights and hill-running, but nothing of the stature needed for boxing. Lately I’ve been training in CityWest Hotel, and trying to get in any sparring sessions at St Michael’s Inchicore, Drimnagh, and the Colosseum.”
There have been some rumours – all laughed off by the fighter himself – that Egan might be exploring whether or not he is pro capable by signing up to fight such an experienced campaigner.
However, when talking about the fight for which tickets cost the equivalent of a euro, Egan stressed that it’s all about raising money and awareness.
“I am good friends with Brian Iredale, CEO of Nurture. In 2012 I boxed a local hero [Musa Batantu] at a green site where the Hilton Hotel was being built and Joey Vegas was in the crowd, so we decided that we would do an exhibition fight.”
Photo Credit – Ricardo Guglielminotti – The Fighting Irish (@ThefIrish)
